Washington — Restrictions on federally funded research related to the medical or recreational use of cannabis and other Schedule I substances would be removed, under recently introduced legislation.
Sponsored by Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act of 2025 (H.R. 3082) would allow the Office of National Drug Control Policy to sponsor research on Schedule I drugs.
“Statutory restrictions on what can be studied and a mandate to oppose any attempts to reschedule substances like cannabis make no sense,” Titus said in a press release. “It’s time to update the law to reflect the current use of cannabis in the United States and its medical benefits. The federal government needs to catch up to the states.”
Highlighted in the release is a 2024 study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine that recommends Congress remove these restrictions so that ONDCP can support research on the impacts of changes in cannabis policy.
“This outdated prohibition is not based on science or reality,” Titus said. “Removing this restriction would allow the ONDCP to conduct essential public policy analyses on states’ adult-use and medicinal cannabis programs and sponsor medical research on the benefits of cannabis.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a co-sponsor of the bill, added in the release: “Our nation’s drug policies have been shaped by stigma. The American people overwhelmingly support cannabis reform, and yet the federal government continues to tie the hands of its own experts. The Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act is about bringing our laws into the 21st century, ensuring that the Office of National Drug Control Policy can do its job guided by facts, not outdated ideology. We need drug policy to follow the science and reflect the reality on the ground in states across the country.”
The bill has been referred to three separate House committees: Oversight and Government Reform, Energy and Commerce, and Judiciary.
