The Senate unanimously approved a bill allowing medical marijuana research to expand on Wednesday. The bill is the first marijuana-related bill to be approved by both chambers of Congress, as the House unanimously passed the bill in July, Politico reports.
The unanimous votes in both chambers underscore the shift in sentiments about cannabis as the substance becomes increasingly mainstream. A recent Gallup poll found that support for marijuana legalization has maintained a record high of 68 percent since last year. In terms of partisan support, 83 percent of Democrats support legalization. In contrast, Republicans remain split, with 50 percent supporting legislation.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), will make it easier for scientists to research medical marijuana. It will also protect doctors who discuss medical cannabis with their patients. Marijuana is still considered a Schedule 1 controlled substance, which denotes a high risk for addiction and a lack of medical benefits. While many states have legalized recreational and medical use on a local level, federal law has restricted the bounds of research into the substance's medical potential. Blumenauer told Politico that after decades of working on cannabis reform, "finally the dam is starting to break."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The bill will proceed to the desk of President Biden, who recently pardoned thousands of people convicted of low-level marijuana-related offenses. Biden also instructed the Department of Health and Human Services to review available research on marijuana.
-
Political cartoons for November 29Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include Kash Patel's travel perks, believing in Congress, and more
-
Nigel Farage: was he a teenage racist?Talking Point Farage’s denials have been ‘slippery’, but should claims from Reform leader’s schooldays be on the news agenda?
-
Pushing for peace: is Trump appeasing Moscow?In Depth European leaders succeeded in bringing themselves in from the cold and softening Moscow’s terms, but Kyiv still faces an unenviable choice
-
Could Trump run for a third term?The Explainer Constitutional amendment limits US presidents to two terms, but Trump diehards claim there is a loophole
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
‘The money to fix this problem already exists’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
