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House Committee Approves First-ever Federal Standalone Cannabis Reform Bill

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]O[/dropcap]n Tuesday, a House committee voted to approve H.R. 5540, the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018, a bill that would force the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)  to conduct research on the value of medical cannabis. While plenty of federal cannabis amendment bills and rider bills have taken form, it’s the first standalone federal cannabis bill to advance that far, according to Marijuana Moment.

The bill was filed by Veterans’ Affairs Committee GOP Chairman Phil Roe, Rep. Lou Correa and Rep. Tim Walz, and attracted over 50 other co-sponsors. If enacted, the bill would “authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to use the authority of the Secretary to conduct and support research on the efficacy and safety of medicinal cannabis, and for other purposes.”

Also on Tuesday, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee issued a report attached to a VA spending bill. “The Committee recognizes that continued focus on the discovery of treatment alternatives for veterans diagnosed with various conditions such as chronic pain and PTSD are essential to reducing the number of veteran suicides,” the report reads. “For this reason, the Committee urges VA to utilize funds, in an amount deemed appropriate by the Secretary, to prioritize investments in research on the efficacy and safety of cannabis usage among the veteran population for medicinal purposes. The Committee also requests a report, within 180 days after the enactment of this Act, by the Secretary containing a detailed plan on how the Department expects to pursue this research. The Committee also urges VA to ensure any research conducted or supported by VA on cannabis therapy is preserved in a manner that will facilitate further research.”

On May 7, Sen. Jon Tester and Sen. Dan Sullivan also introduced S. 2796, which would serve as a companion bill. Under S. 2796, at least three strains of cannabis would be used to conduct research on whole plant cannabis as well as cannabis extracts.

The VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018 was applauded by Acreage Holdings. The advancement of the bill reflects rare bipartisan support in the House that wasn’t seen in years before.

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