Senate passed H.R. 8454, to President for Signature
The Senate passed H.R. 8454 (Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act)
Senate Sends Marijuana Research Bill To Biden’s Desk, With Schumer Saying He’s Having ‘Productive Talks’ On Broader Reform
Just weeks after President Joe Biden issued a mass marijuana pardon and directed a review of the drug’s scheduling status, the U.S. Senate approved House-passed bipartisan cannabis research bill on Wednesday. It marks the first time a standalone piece of marijuana reform legislation has ever been sent to the president’s desk.
Just before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on the floor that he is continuing to have “productive talks” about a broader package of cannabis reforms he hopes to pass before the end of the lame duck session.
In the meantime, while numerous marijuana measures have been filed and advanced in each chamber in recent sessions, reform has consistently stalled before reaching the president. But now, the “Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act” is just one signature away from historic enactment.
Just weeks after President Joe Biden issued a mass marijuana pardon and directed a review of the drug’s scheduling status, the U.S. Senate approved House-passed bipartisan cannabis research bill on Wednesday. It marks the first time a standalone piece of marijuana reform legislation has ever been sent to the president’s desk.
Just before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on the floor that he is continuing to have “productive talks” about a broader package of cannabis reforms he hopes to pass before the end of the lame duck session.
In the meantime, while numerous marijuana measures have been filed and advanced in each chamber in recent sessions, reform has consistently stalled before reaching the president. But now, the “Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act” is just one signature away from historic enactment.
The bill was filed in July and quickly moved through the House before being taken up by the Senate, which approved the legislation under unanimous consent.
The latest vote came one day after a House subcommittee held a hearing on cannabis legalization.
Senate leadership had planned to pass the measure in late September, but Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) objected to the expedited process despite his stated support for marijuana research—delaying the action while the senators left for a multi-week recess around the midterm elections.
That hold was pulled on Tuesday, clearing its path to the Senate floor.
The bill “would eliminate the red tape that hinders cannabis research, opening the door for new innovative treatments derived from cannabis,” Schumer said ahead of the vote. “If you’re one of the millions of Americans who deals with conditions like Parkinson’s or epilepsy or post-traumatic stress, or any number of other conditions, cannabis might hold promising new options for managing these diseases.”
“We need to do the research first,” he said. “And the federal government, sadly, has been woefully behind the times on this front. This bill will help fix that.”
The majority leader then turned to the issue of further reforms.
“I hope after passing this bill the Senate can make progress on other cannabis legislation, too,” he said. “I’m still holding productive talks with Democratic and Republican colleagues in the House and the Senate on moving additional bipartisan cannabis legislation in the lame duck.”
“We’re going to try very, very hard to get it done,” Schumer said. “It’s not easy, but we’re making good progress. I thank my colleagues for the the excellent work on this [research] bill and hope it portends more good cannabis legislation to come.”
