Last week, bipartisan leaders of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control introduced a bill to support research on CBD and medical marijuana. The Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, proposed by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Grassley, would reduce regulatory barriers inhibiting cannabis research in order to create a stronger body of sound scientific research into the medical benefits of cannabis.
“Cumbersome research regulations have made it difficult to conduct research on the potential medical benefits of marijuana,” Senator Feinstein said. “I strongly believe such research is necessary, especially for cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive component of marijuana. This bill paves the way for new research to be conducted with greater ease to determine if cannabidiol can be an effective medication for serious illnesses such as intractable epilepsy.”
The bill would require the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services to complete an analysis of the medical value of CBD within one year. The bill would allow CBD to be treated as a Schedule II drug for the purposes of research, and would allow accredited research institutions to manufacture, possess, distribute, or obtain cannabis products for research applications.
“The parents of children with severe epilepsy and other conditions are interested in cannabidiol to try to ease their children’s symptoms,” Senator Grassley said. “I understand their interest. Research is necessary to determine the potential medical value of cannabidiol, and wherever possible, the government should help facilitate the scientific research needed to give these parents the answers they need.”
