California Governor signed a law to streamline research into marijuana and psychedelics.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, (D), gave his final approval on Friday to the measure empowering the Research Advisory Panel of California to accelerate the review of research proposals for Schedule I and Schedule II substances. This will continue until January 2028.
The recently enacted legislation sponsored by Assemblymember Christopher Ward will allow the chairperson of RAPC, to assign up to two members to review research proposals expedited and to approve these on behalf of RAPC.
A summary of the bill states that “individual members of panels will be able to consult and communicate asynchronously outside full panel meetings with members of other panels with complementary core competences to conduct individual reviews.”
According to its summary, the overall purpose of the bill was to encourage studies on marijuana, psychoactive drugs or other Schedule I/Schedule II substances to “treat opioid addiction disorders, brain injuries, PTS, and other mental illnesses that contribute to the higher suicide rates among California Veterans.”
The report states that “eliminating all unnecessary delays” in the start of clinical research will help save lives.
Newsom was urged to sign the law by a prominent veterans group after lawmakers sent it to him.
Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions said, in a recent action alert that “the bill would cut through the red tape to expedite the approval of psychedelic projects at California’s world-class universities.”
VETS stated that “These studies not only will benefit California veterans but they will also ripple throughout the country, changing lives and advancing science. They will offer hope in places where it is desperately needed.”
Newsom didn’t comment on the law when he signed it along with unrelated bills.
It’s been more than a full year since the governor passed a bill to simplify the process of studying marijuana and psychedelics.
This legislation was introduced by Assemblymember Marie Waldron, (R), to assist in clearing a logjam for psychedelics studies applications under the supervision of RAPC.
The panel had suspended its activities as it was prohibited by law to publicly disclose the trade secrets of applicants and any other confidential data. In order to resolve this issue, the bill authorized the panel to perform their duties behind closed doors, freeing up the members to work on the backlog.
This bill, which was signed into law during this session, extends to the end of 2028 any exemptions that the Panel may have from the open meeting laws.
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A bill was signed by the Governor last month, putting a stop to an increase in tax on marijuana.
California officials are also inviting research proposals for a second round of grants under a program meant to better educate the public on the state’s marijuana law and help policymakers make informed decisions on the issue.
In June, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced the recipients of over $52 million in community reinvestment grants to nonprofits and local health departments, also funded by marijuana tax revenue.
That marked the seventh round of cannabis-funded California Community Reinvestment Grants (CalCRG) under the state program.
California’s legalization of marijuana has led to the creation of a variety of grant programs that are aimed at combating the effects of prohibition of marijuana and trying to foster a well-regulated, strong industry.
California’s Supreme Court separately delivered a victory for the state’s marijuana program in June, rescinding a lower court ruling in a case that suggested federal prohibition could be used locally to undermine the cannabis market.
The state Supreme Court ruling also came just weeks after California officials unveiled a report on the current status and future of the state’s marijuana market—with independent analysts hired by regulators concluding that the federal prohibition on cannabis that prevents interstate commerce is meaningfully bolstering the illicit market.
The governor did sign a bill in 2022 that would have empowered him to enter into interstate cannabis commerce agreements with other legal states, but that power was incumbent upon federal guidance or an assessment from the state attorney general that sanctioned such activity.
Meanwhile, a California Senate committee recently declined to advance a bipartisan bill that would have created a psilocybin pilot program for military veterans and former first responders.
Kristie Gianpulos is the photographer of this image element.
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