Thirty members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to the leaders of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Justice on Tuesday, calling on the federal agencies to speed up research into the medical uses of cannabis. The letter was signed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers including cannabis advocate and Democrat Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and three of the nearly two dozen candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.
Presidential candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, fellow Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, and Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, the leaders of the letter, were joined by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Rep. Seth Moulton, who are both also vying for the Democratic nomination, and more than 20 additional members of the House of Representatives. Swallwell announced the move on Tuesday morning in a post on Twitter.
With @RepMattGaetz & @RepCohen, I led 27 other Members in sending a letter to @TheJusticeDept & @DEAHQ urging it be made easier to do better, quicker research on #marijuana. This would bring us closer to realizing its full power in treating diseases. https://t.co/sKK8zgShYW
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) May 7, 2019
Approval for Cannabis Research ‘Arduous and Long’ Process
In the letter, the members of Congress urged Attorney General William Barr and Uttam Dhillon, the Acting Administrator of the DEA, “to do more to speed research on the medicinal benefits of cannabis.” The legislators note that 33 states and the Food and Drug Administration, with the approval of cannabis-based medication Epidiolex, have acknowledged the medical potential of marijuana. However, obtaining federal approval for research into cannabis, a Schedule I controlled