New bill aims to allow research to catch up with US's increasing cannabis consumption

Source: The Guardian

New bill aims to allow research to catch up with US’s increasing cannabis consumption

Legislation would radically ease research restrictions on cannabis and other schedule I substances

Hannah Harris Green
Sat 10 May 2025 12.00 BST
Last modified on Sat 10 May 2025 12.29 BST

A recently introduced bill, if it passes, would allow research on cannabis despite its schedule I status, which some experts say could help policymakers “craft effective” legislation in the future and potentially allow more clinical research on medical cannabis.

Representatives Dina Titus and Ilhan Omar introduced the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act of 2025 (EBDPA) last week, which would radically ease research restrictions on cannabis and other schedule I substances.

Omar said in a statement that the law would allow research to catch up with the US’s increasing cannabis consumption: “We need drug policy to follow the science and reflect the reality on the ground in states across the country.”

Schedule I substances, including cannabis, heroin and MDMA, are legally defined as having “no accepted medical use” and a “high potential for abuse”. Medical cannabis proponents point out that cannabis’s federal schedule I status is contradictory, given that patients throughout the US already use cannabis for medical purposes.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/10/cannabis-medical-research-bill