Sen. Orrin Hatch introduces a medical marijuana research bill in a statement packed with pot puns

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on Wednesday introduced the Marijuana Effective Drug Study Act of 2017, a bill aimed at improving research on medical marijuana, and he seemingly couldn't resist packing in a few pot-related puns in his announcement.

"It's high time to address research into medical marijuana," Hatch said in a statement. "Our country has experimented with a variety of state solutions without properly delving into the weeds on the effectiveness, safety, dosing, administration, and quality of medical marijuana. All the while, the federal government strains to enforce regulations that sometimes do more harm than good. To be blunt, we need to remove the administrative barriers preventing legitimate research into medical marijuana, which is why I've decided to roll out the MEDS Act."

Hatch's bill is cosponsored by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Hatch said that he hopes his colleagues sign onto the bill so they can "help thousands of Americans suffering from a wide range of diseases and disorders" and also have a "kumbaya moment for both parties."

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Read Hatch's artful statement in its entirety below. Becca Stanek