Marijuana could get easier to study after the Biden administration's move to reclassify it as a less dangerous drug, but scientists say research barriers won't disappear. Even as most Americans live in states that have legalized marijuana, stringent federal requirements have limited research on its uses and effects, Axios reports. Those who've been studying the drug for years say marijuana's reclassification could jumpstart investment and research, but ongoing regulatory and infrastructure hurdles may temper research interest. "Symbolically, this is an important time in our history," said Ziva Cooper, director of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids. "But I'm eager to see how exactly this will be implemented and rolled out." Traci Toomey, director of University of Minnesota's Cannabis Research Center, said the initial expectation is: "Maybe some doors will open, but I don't think it's going to be wide open."
The Justice Department last week proposed reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug, acknowledging its potential medicinal value and putting it on the same level as prescription drugs like ketamine, testosterone and Tylenol with codeine. The Biden administration's move wouldn't legalize marijuana federally, but by taking it out of the same category as heroin and LSD, restrictions around the drug would be removed. A federal health review this year cited "some credible scientific support" for marijuana as a treatment for certain conditions, but critics have questioned the strength of that evidence. Researchers say some aspects of their work won't be so difficult if the federal government finalizes marijuana rescheduling. It. will be easier to obtain federal research licenses, and researchers won't need to acquire expensive, high-security facilities for storing marijuana. The Drug Enforcement Administration would no longer set quotas on how much of the drug could be produced for research. Universities, hospitals and even federal agencies will be more willing to fund clinical trials on marijuana with those hurdles gone, said Arizona Public Health Association director Will Humble.
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