President Biden to sign marijuana research bill this week

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The first federal cannabis bill to make it through the maze could arrive this week

Congress finally agreed to give the go-ahead to a bipartisan cannabis research bill last week. Both chambers voted unanimously to ultimately land the measure on President Joe Biden’s desk. According to a White House spokesman, the document will have no problem meeting the president’s signature. It was expected news by many considering Biden’s recent stance and promotion of marijuana research during his election campaign.

The recent Senate approval came two months after the proposal obtained the same result in the House. It is a historic milestone for both the country and industry as it is the first marijuana reform in the US to reach the hands of the president. Now that Biden has made clear his intention to sign the measure, the US Attorney General would have up to 60 days to request additional information from the marijuana research applicant or approve a particular application.

With such a reform in place, researchers requesting larger amounts of marijuana for their studies will face far fewer obstacles in the way. Once the bill officially reaches the Oval Office, Biden will have ten days (excluding Sundays) to veto it or sign it. If neither action is taken, it would go into effect without the need for a decision by the president.

While it is true that federal legalization remains a stagnant item on his agenda, Biden campaigned on a number of more modest marijuana reforms. Most relevant was the issuance of a massive pardon and the rescheduling of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The White House recently listed those actions among the president’s “major accomplishments.”