The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently assured Iowa officials that academic institutions in the state aren’t at risk of losing agency grants and contracts even if they permit patients to use medical marijuana on their properties in compliance with state law. Under legislation that was enacted last year, Iowa’s Department of Public Health was mandated to reach out to federal agencies inquiring about exemptions for the state’s medical cannabis program when it comes to health and education-related funding. In a June 30 letter, the agency said that while it doesn’t provide grants for long-term health facilities, it does “provide federal grants and contracts to academic institutions.” To that end, FDA said, “to our knowledge, eligibility for such grant or contract funding would not be affected by the circumstances described in your inquiry.” In other words, universities that do allow patients to use medical marijuana, or allow for its administration, under state law, would not lose federal funding through FDA.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 08/23/2021 13:28:00