Obama Administration makes cannabis research one step easier

The Obama administration has just recently removed an obstacle for cannabis researchers.  This new legislative measure for cannabis shows that widespread use of medical cannabis by American patients is making an impact on how the government perceives MMJ. Up until June 22, to begin a legal cannabis research trial, researchers had to follow a long and tedious four step list of procedures to procure their cannabis and licenses:

1. A researcher must submit their study proposal to the FDA for approval.

2. Then, they must submit their proposal to a separate Public Health Service (PHS) board.

3. They must then get a marijuana permit from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

4. They must obtain their desired quantity of (low grade) marijuana from the drug supply program run by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA.

This obscenely long process often times failed researchers, with the PHS review being nearly identical to the FDA review. As of now, the PHS review is no longer needed by researchers to gain access to marijuana from NIDA and to get their licenses from the government.  This may seem like a small step, but the PHS review is often a 2-4 month process, and the review can make-or-break a study application.  Additionally, the review was considered redundant by many, because it mirrors the FDA review so closely, meaning that human energy and money was wasted on the PHS step of the application process. Unfortunately, this does not mean that there will be a flood of cannabis research done soon, because the process is still long.  Alone, each step takes 2-4 months, sometimes stretching the process of license and research material acquisition to years instead of months.  With the new legislation, a ¼ of that time will finally be removed, hopefully leading to more reform in the future, and more scientific evidence that cannabis is medicine. Learn more here. (Photo Credit)