[inaudible conversations] good morning the subcommittee will now come to order. Welcome to everyone that is here in the hearing room. The chair now recognizes herself for an opening statement. According to dhs National Survey on drug use, 44 million americans reported using cannabis in the last year. Thirtythree states now allow the medicinal use of cannabis and in the district of columbia have legalized for adult use. State laws and federal policy are 1000 miles apart. The federal governments still strictly prohibits even restricting legitimate medical research. Widespread availability of cannabis is the purpose of the hearing to examine the pressing need for medical research of cannabis and the chemical compound with cbd being one of them. Half a century ago the congress listed cannabis as schedule one substance including heroin heroine, lsd, and ecstasy. Schedule one drugs have no medical value in high potential for abuse. Scheduled to drugs such as cocaine and vicodin even schedule five drugs as robitussin has medical value but a ranking depending on abuse. Schedule one designation restricts legitimate medical research. Today scientist who wish to study cannabis must seek approval from three federal up agencies fda, nih and the dea. Once federally approved which could take more than a year the labs can only Research Cannabis grown on the Government Farm at the university of mississippi. If it lacks the properties and potency of commercially available cannabis and leads to inadequate results. They cannot do research but they cannot demonstrated as a medical use until they can conduct research. That make sense. At least to me so why is it concerning the research is blocked by federal law . First the therapeutic potential for chronic pain, nausea and treatment of Neurological Disorders such as seizures. To update fedo research on cannabis and its compounds. They joined us and they are sitting in the front row. Thank you for being here and for your work. Now i would like to yield to mr. Kennedy for the remainder of my time. This is a debate that is long overdue. The criminal Justice System to the Healthcare System to the state and local governments that are forced to navigate an impossible landscape. To that end, government officials and representatives are important witnesses in bringing perspective to the conversation. But there are also critical stakeholders that are missing, those whose lives have been touched by a broken Marijuana Policy, the people under incarcerated and allowed medical cannabis and researchers with expertise yearning to learn more. They tried to find a fair voting in the industry. Im grateful for the chairwoman who is committed to working on the second hearing in this debate. Thanthank you madam chair and i wont yield back. It is a pleasure to recognize the Ranking Member of the subcommittee for his opening statement. I think the chair and appreciate thanks to the witnesses here today to help advise us in this important matter and i appreciate we are holding the hearing today to discuss the policy. It is of interest to many members of the subcommittee and in fact that was evidence when we had our discussion on the smokeless tobacco product at the end of last year. On the medical Cannabis Research act and hr 3797 the medical Marijuana Research act of 2019. States and localities across the country have moved forward with different policies. I am concerned there is a lack of Available Research on the benefits and risks of both medical and Recreational Use of the product and we dont justify the actions of some of the states have taken. Thus far the food and Drug Administration and academies found there is a lack of evidence to demonstrate effective medical use for marijuana, so certainly we need more research. We do not have any data. They also found that it may impair fetal growth and development. As the potency continues to be arise. With the help of the mothers and their babies that could be at risk it requires the dea approval and for decades only been allowed to obtain from one source to the university of mississippi. Previous Research Purposes they could be minimized by having a Single Source and because of that diversity now anthediversiy potency of other aspects for the medical and Recreational Purposes as it does vary across the United States, researched using the Single Source marijuana may not adequately assess what the current landscape represents. Its necessary to conduct research in the existing structure. They announced in 2016 that it would establish a new policy to increase the number of approved sources of Research Grade marijuana, but i dont think that is quite across the finish line. Maybe we can hear about that today. I hope that we can identify ways to Work Together to achieve that goal while three of the bills before us today and t yesterdaye research efforts, there are two that may go a step too far completely remove marijuana from the controlled substances list. It is worth noting and i believe the administration will explain this in more detail that in order for the Drug Enforcement agency to reschedule a drug. They must conduct a medical evaluation of the drug and provide a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement agency has to let the scheduling should be. This recommendation is finding therefore the dea must do what the food and Drug Administration recommends. They could override the scenario to possibly be a dangerous move especially given the lack of research to back up that assertion. So, it is critical understanding what it does to our body and bring different potencies and we have a long way to go before a full understanding of the factors some of the bills are a step in the right direction and some go a step too far but i look forward to learning more about the issues of the federal agencies and the efforts they are taking to work on this problem. Thank you for being here and i will yield back my time. Mr. Pallone for his opening statement. Today the subcommittee will have an important hearing about federal cannabis policies while state laws and Public Perception around cannabis and its derivatives have evolved over the years. Much of the federal framework that regulates cannabis has stayed the same. My home state of new jersey for example, it allows the use of medical cannabis, and at the end of last year, the state lawmakers passed a referendum that would put the question of legalizing adult cannabis use to the new jersey voters on the 2020 ballot this coming november. New jersey is not alone in its changes and in fact the National Conference of state legislators pushed for 33 states as well as puerto rico, the u. S. Virgin islands and the district of columbia approved medical cannabis programs. The approved adult use cannabis and although some state states e their own policies, National Walls such as the controlled feedback have used to change the same way. Theyve agreed to appear before the subcommittee today the drug endorsement agency, the fda, the National Institute all play crucial roles on the cannabis policy from researching its medicine to the monster protecting the American Public from bad actors and i hope that we can learn about what works and what needs to be changed. We will discuss these by both democrats and republicans, some bipartisan. They propose various changes such as rescheduling or the scheduling marijuana, providing a safe harbor for patients and veterans who use medical marijuana and streamlining Cannabis Research. Given the evolving landscape that bills are worthy for further discussion and im particularly in rested in hearing how they are reducing barriers to research and enabling research on cannabis. Im also interested in how the agencies are working together to regulate a cannabis derivatives recently removed from the controlled substances act and that is a cbd or cannabis dial is how it is pronounced. They are the cochairs of the bipartisan cannabis debate for cannabis mr. Chairman, i think you want a timeshare . When i was a young man in the 1980s, some of my friends were smuggling marijuana into the community and the family. That formed my policy that we need to have a rational medical Marijuana Policy, thus the bill. But i decided when i got to congress its kind of controversial and maybe i shouldnt do that, but i would talk about it and when i was at a town hall what about just for the Recreational Use or for fun and i will never forget i was in virginia, by unanimous side of the room raised his hand. These two communities 20 years apart, 30 years apart, and hours apart from one another and doctors were turning a blind eye to allow marijuana to be brought into the hospital because they recognized for those patients who are dying, this was the only way they could have a little bit of relief and get the nutrients that they needed to stay alive a little bit longer and spend a little bit more time with their children. I came back to dc and i said i am in congress now. I can do something about the dea and not making marijuana available for patients who need it. And i will yield back. We appreciate the hearing today because we will have an opportunity to review the initiatives. Representatives rogers and others, we sent a letter asking and appreciate the willingness to have it. Its a schedule one substance and this means researchers seeking to investigate cannabis must work with the food and Drug Administration and the National Institute on drug abuse and the Enforcement Administration and this beats federal guideline requirements specified to conduct research in addition to the International Obligations set forth in the United Nations drug control treaties that impose additional requirements of the substance inducting the supply of Research Grade cannabis. So, researchers now can only use cannabis products sourced through the Drug Supply Program single license, the university of mississippi. Now, unfortunately that it is commercially not available from the state legal dispensaries in oregon on the products and states would legalize cannabis for medical or Recreational Use. Now in oregon, you can purchase a range of thc infused products like these cookies we have a photograph of right there if you look up on the screen behind you i guess. I have pizza out in the hallway. [laughter] dont worry i didnt get that carried away. You can eat these. Beyond the normal ingredients of the normal cookie. The question is how do you know if your child stumbles upon it. So serious side, these cookies in the photo are limited to 5 milligrams of thc per serving. If you go across the river to the state to milligrams and 100 milligrams per package and the difference is arbitrary. We lack data and we do not know but what we do know if there was an elevated number of cannabis related the Poison Center calls that reflects the reality of what is on todays market and products containing cbd derived from the plant have become commonplace across the country and pharmacies, food stores since hemp was removed in the farm belt, these products contain claims they can effectively treat depression gum inflammation can even cancer and alzheimers. None of these have been evaluated or proven by the drug and Food Administration which means patients may be relying on the unsubstantiated claims of products and forgoing other medical treatments. The patient benefit if lag far behind the market into the agencies they are struggling to catch u up so nationwide exposue is increasing from 2006 to 2013 childrens exposure to marijuana products grossed 127. 5 nationwide. And in states that have legalized medical marijuana come exposure has risen 610 . While alcohol use is going down, last month, he reported record numbers of eight through 12 grade students regularly vaping marijuana. Americans consuming more cannabis positions on the substance have been made in the virtual information vacuum. They are easily abused such of alcohol and tobacco. Rescheduling it may help improve Research Landscape and allow for more medical treatment however the administrative scheduling on the users its created a catch22 in the scheduling debate and evaluations by the fda and the National Academies have both concluded lack of research was an actor to the previous rescheduling petition, so i would like to note that two of the six bills today already scheduled and removing it from the controlled substances act even though we do not have the necessary data to justify doing so in my opinion. It is removed from the act and cuts the dea completely out of the picture so any discussion must be preceded by the full understanding of the risk associated with cannabis use that we currently do not have making it easier to get the Research Cannabis we should pursue as we improve the federal and state relationship in the policy gap and with that i will yield back. They would like to remind members that pursuant to the Committee Rules, the members Opening Statements shall be made a part of the record i would like to introduce and thank each one of you for being with us today. The director of the National Institute on drug abuse at the National Institutes of health, thank you to you. Doctor douglas is the Deputy Director for recovery programs at the center for drug evaluation and research at the fda food and Drug Administration and mr. Matthew strauss, Senior Policy Adviser for the diversion controls division of the Drug Enforcement administration. So, welcome to each one of you. Thank you for your wife work that brings you to the table to testify today. We look forward to the testimony that each one of you are going to offer. I think you are familiar with the traffic system green as go, yellow with caution and when red comes up it is time to stop. We will start with doctor you are recognized and thank you not only for your work but for being with us today turn your microphone on. Good morning to everybody, and i want to thank the chairwoman, the Ranking Member and all of the members of the committee for inviting us to discuss the research. Its the most widely used illicit drug in the world and the United States. Thc is responsible the content has tripled in the past two decades it isnt requiring its potential effects have decreased in the plan while food, drinks and other products containing it have. By interacting with receptors that are part of our own cannabinoids system. The system is involved in Brain Development, and multiple brain functions. Memory, emotional and others and also hormonal and metabolic processes. It isnt surprising that basically hijacks the system of particular concern are the developed at on the vehicle and adolescent brain and exposure as was mentioned before during pregnancy has increased and is associated with restriction of lower birth weight and delivery. It has been consistently associated with lower academic achievement, high risk of dropping out of school, lower iq, disruptions in brain connectivity instructor. It increases the risk of addiction. Another area of concern is psychosis the risk of high content of thc. While most, they can become chronic. Theyve also regarded high risk for depression and suicide, so these associations have been less solid. The ability of the products has increased Emergency Department visits and hospital admissions with these exposures. These injuries while driving under the influence of thc are one of the main causes. However cant or understanding is incomplete the predominant association that happens resulted in more than 2,500 hospitalizations. The related visits take further assist resulting in high levels. Most frequent for speed [inaudible] multiple indications in many states even though the fda has not approved any of them for any indication. Not meeting the fda requirements, there is evidence that it may be effective for treating multiple sclerosis but otherwise there is little evidence of benefit further indications for which the patients were using it. Including supporting stories for pain, inflammation, ptsd and addiction understanding of the effect of Brain Development and deny the priority and the adolescent brain and Cognitive Development story will follow more than 11,000 children into investigating how it affects their brain. It is a process with major challenges. Neither with the university of mississippi the only source of research into the researchers from other