Despite some recent baby steps, the untangling of the federal government’s enduring and preposterous opposition to cannabis as a medicine or recreational substance is going to take a long, long time.
Nevertheless, I was delighted to read that the Senate had recently passed a bipartisan legislation loosening rules about cannabis research, “Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act.” (The strange spelling has an unfortunate historical precedent.)
That is, until I spoke to a well-known cannabis researcher and a couple of attorneys who have sued the federal government on her behalf.
The Senate bill’s co-sponsors Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) claim in a press release touting its passage that “this important legislation will cut the red tape around the research process, helping get FDA-approved, marijuana-derived medications safely to patients.”
But critics say the bill would make it more difficult to research some substances of medical interest derived from marijuana. They also say it does not require the feds to issue licenses for research, which means the government could block research, much as it did during the Trump administration when then-Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions opposed cannabis for any use.
Sue Sisley, a physician and researcher who has dedicated her career to the study of cannabis for veterans suffering with untreatable PTSD, end-stage cancer patients with untreatable pain, and opioid addicts trying to get clean, was not impressed with the new bill. [Read More @ The LA Times]
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