Politics
Senate Report Slams Drug Scheduling System For Blocking Marijuana Research
A Senate committee released a draft spending report on Wednesday that expresses concern about barriers to marijuana research and calls for increased research on two cannabis compounds, CBD and CBG.
On the other hand, the appropriations bill that the report is attached to also contains a long-standing rider prohibiting the use of funds for “any activity that promotes the legalization” of Schedule I drugs—a provision that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) unsuccessfully attempted to remove from the House version of the spending legislation earlier this year in order to encourage studies on psychedelics.
Although the language prohibiting the promotion of legalizing controlled substances wasn’t dropped, the Senate Appropriations Committee did express concern in its report that “restrictions associated with Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act effectively limit the amount and type of research that can be conducted on certain Schedule I drugs, especially marijuana or its component chemicals, and new synthetic drugs and analogs.”
“At a time when we need as much information as possible about these drugs to find antidotes for their harmful effects, we should be lowering regulatory and other barriers to conducting this research,” the panel said, adding that it wants the National Institute on Drug Abuse to submit a report “on the barriers to research that result from the classification of drugs and compounds as Schedule I substances” within 120 days of enactment.
While past committee reports have included similar language concerning the impact of the federal drug scheduling system on marijuana research and the need for more information about CBD, this appears to be the first time that such a report has mentioned CBG, a lesser-known non-intoxicating compound commonly found in low-THC cannabis varieties, including hemp.
“The Committee believes that cannabidiol [CBD] and cannabigerol [CBG], compounds found in cannabis, may provide beneficial medicinal effects,” the report on the Fiscal Year 2020 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill states. “However, there is insufficient scientific information about the long-term effects of these compounds.”
“Additional, coordinated research on a national scale could help determine the toxicology and medicinal effects of CBD and CBG,” it continues. “The Committee encourages [the National Institutes of Health] to consider additional investment in studying the medicinal effects and toxicology of CBD and CBG.”
There were a number of marijuana-related recommendations attached to House spending reports earlier this year, including one encouraging the Food and Drug Administration to create a regulatory pathway for CBD to be marketed in food items and as dietary supplements, another urging funding so that the U.S. Department of Agriculture can expediently develop rules for hemp and one expressing concern about impaired driving from THC.
A separate report contained language directing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to take action on applications for additional federally authorized marijuana manufacturers for research purposes. DEA said in August that it is taking steps to get those requests approved.
The House Appropriations Committee also advised that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management update its guidelines for hiring and firing individuals solely because they use cannabis in a state where it’s legal.
The most consequential cannabis rider the House approved in appropriations legislation this year was a measure blocking the Justice Department from using its funds to interfere in state-legal marijuana programs, both for medical and adult use. It remains to be seen whether the Republican-controlled Senate will follow suit, however.
Read the full text of the Senate committee’s two cannabis-specific recommendations below:
Barriers to Research—The Committee is concerned that restrictions associated with Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act effectively limit the amount and type of research that can be conducted on certain Schedule I drugs, especially marijuana or its component chemicals, and new synthetic drugs and analogs. At a time when we need as much information as possible about these drugs to find antidotes for their harmful effects, we should be lowering regulatory and other barriers to conducting this research. The Committee directs NIDA to provide a brief report on the barriers to research that result from the classification of drugs and compounds as Schedule I substances no later than 120 days after enactment.
Cannabis Research—The Committee believes that cannabidiol [CBD] and cannabigerol [CBG], compounds found in cannabis, may provide beneficial medicinal effects. However, there is insufficient scientific information about the long-term effects of these compounds. Additional, coordinated research on a national scale could help determine the toxicology and medicinal effects of CBD and CBG. The Committee encourages NIH to consider additional investment in studying the medicinal effects and toxicology of CBD and CBG.
Read the full text of the rider banning the promotion of legalizing Schedule I substances below:
SEC. 509. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act may be used for any activity that promotes the legalization of any drug or other substance included in schedule I of the schedules of controlled substances established under section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act except for normal and recognized executive-congressional communications.
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Photo courtesy of Evan Johnson.
