Last week, the House of Representatives passed infrastructure legislation that includes provisions that will permit researchers to conduct research on the cannabis that consumers purchase from state-legal dispensaries. This bill, which has been advanced to President Joe Biden’s desk, also encourages states that have enacted laws to legalize marijuana to educate individuals on impaired driving. A study that was funded by the federal government found that the amount of THC in an individual’s system after they had consumed cannabis wasn’t a reliable predictor of impairment. Despite this finding, however, the measure directs that the transportation secretary works with the secretary of health and human services and the attorney general to compile a public report in two years, which should include recommendations on permitting researchers to access retail-level cannabis to conduct research on impaired driving. A provision in the legislation also states that the report should contain a recommendation on the establishment of a national clearinghouse, which will gather and distribute strains and samples of cannabis for scientific research, including cannabis and products containing cannabis that is lawfully available to consumers or patients on a retail basis in a particular state
CannabisNewsWire, 11/15/2021 16:20:00