Following the highly-publicized MORE Act vote, the House of Representatives will vote on another cannabis bill this week. This one, the Medical Marijuana Research Act, sponsored by Earl Blumenauer and noted cannabis reform enemy Andy Harris, will reduce the regulations that exist making it easier to get approved to research cannabis and increase the supply of cannabis provided to researchers. The bill is notable because of the involvement of Harris, who has for years—even as he has opposed almost all cannabis reform—asked for additional cannabis research. A 2017 article in Rolling Stone, titled, “Why an Anti-Pot Lawmaker Is Pushing for Marijuana Research” explored Harris concern about the lack of cannabis research.
“As a physician, I believe it’s going to show it’s really not helpful in a whole lot of diseases,” Harris told Rolling Stone. “And in fact what will be shown to be helpful—as has been [shown] in a lot of the diseases where it’s useful—are actually not the whole marijuana plant but purified components of marijuana, like CBD or THC.”
You can read the Medical Marijuana Research Act here.