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US-POLITICS-HEALTH-CANNABIS
US House approves bill to widen marijuana research
WASHINGTON, Dec 10, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The US House of Representatives passed
a bill Wednesday that would broaden researchers’ ability to study marijuana
and its effects, a move hailed by cannabis advocates.
The bill, passed in a bipartisan voice vote, allows authorized researchers
access to parts of cannabis plants grown under state programs.
The use of marijuana for medical purposes is legal in 36 of the 50 states
plus Washington, and for recreational use in 15 states plus the capital.
But until now, only the University of Mississippi was federally licensed to
grow and clinically research the drug.
The plants that were available for study at the university, however, were
of “poor quality” and failed “to accurately reflect the varieties of
marijuana commercially available in the United States,” according to US pro-
cannabis organization NORML.
“The reality that most high-schoolers have easier access to cannabis than
do our nation’s top scientists is the height of absurdity and an indictment
of the current system,” said NORML deputy director Paul Armentano.
Bill co-sponsor Earl Blumenauer, a Democratic lawmaker from Oregon,
welcomed the law’s passage in the lower house of Congress.
“It’s illegal everywhere in America to drive under the influence of
alcohol, cannabis or any other substance. But we do not have a good test for
impairment because we can’t study it,” he said.
He pointed out that four million Americans have received permission to use
cannabis for medical purposes and that “many more likely self-medicate” with
it.
Maryland Republican Andy Harris was the bill’s other co-sponsor — he
opposes the legalization of marijuana while Blumenauer supports it.
But “we agree 100 percent that we need to do this research,” Harris said.
The bill must next be approved by the Senate to take effect.
The Democratic-controlled House last week also passed a bill that would
remove cannabis from the federal list of dangerous drugs, a historic step
towards federal decriminalization of the substance. It stands little chance
however in the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans.
BSS/AFP/RY/08:45hrs