White House Will No Longer Restrict Medical Cannabis Research

Up until now, such research was not legally possible for most scientific groups

The federal government has removed an important restriction that had previously made medical marijuana research difficult or impossible. Backed by broad bi-partisan support, the move was introduced a little over a year ago in a letter from members of Congress to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Prior to now, those interested in conducting such research had to submit to a Public Health Service review, which often delayed or unnecessarily complicated these attempts. On Tuesday, the White House announced that this hurdle had been axed.

Medical Cannabis activists argue that more progress needs to be made towards outright legalization, including re-scheduling to at least a Schedule II drug, plus preventing a monopoly on the research groups and organizations who are allowed permits to produce and study the plant. At the moment, only the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) enjoys such permission.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), one of the authors of the legislation, touts the success of the change while warning of the hard work to come.

"The White House is right to lift a major barrier to conducting essential medical marijuana research. The onerous requirement took too long and cost too much to complete, discouraging research that would have furthered our understanding of medical marijuana and its potential treatment of illness and disease.

"However, other barriers remain. With the anticipated boost in research, we'll need an adequate supply of marijuana samples that are only available through one provider. The CARERS Act would increase the number of licenses so that more providers can grow cannabis for research. Most urgently, patients and doctors in states with legal medical marijuana programs are still unable to participate in those programs without fear of federal prosecution. The CARERS Act would also modernize the laws and allow states to determine medical marijuana policy.

"The incremental progress is encouraging, but we need comprehensive reform to ensure that doctors and researchers have the tools they need to care for patients across the country."