Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act of 2025 Introduced to Congress

Image | adobe.stock/Alexander Sánchez

On April 29, 2025, Congresswoman Dina Titus and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Democratic Co-Chairs of the Cannabis Caucus, introduced to the House, the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act of 2025 (H. R. 3082) (1,2).

The new legislation will help by removing restrictions that are preventing spending or sponsoring of research that is in relation to the medical or recreational use of cannabis. It will provide the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) the ability to “take actions reflecting the current use of cannabis in the United States,” (1). Current legislation does not allow the ONDCP to spend or sponsor such research but also the ONDCP Director must (1) “oppose any attempt to legalize a substance that is listed under Schedule 1 and has not been approved for a medical purpose by the Food and Drug Administration.”

If the current restrictions are removed, the ONDCP would be able to explore public policy data on states that have medical cannabis and adult-use programs, as well as sponsor medical research investigating potential benefits of the cannabis plant (1). Congresswoman Titus’s statement refers to a 2024 National Academies study called (1,3), “Cannabis Policy Impacts Public Health and Health Equity”, the paper supported for Congress to remove cannabis restrictions to allow the ONDCP to encourage research, as well as promote legislation update regarding cannabis policy.

“The Office of National Drug Control Policy and its Director should be free to sponsor research or speak about substances like cannabis based on evidence and research,” said Congresswoman Titus (1). “Statutory restrictions on what can be studied and a mandate to oppose any attempts to reschedule substances like cannabis make no sense. 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.”

“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,” said Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (1). “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into the 21st century, ensuring that the Office of National Drug Control Policy can do its job guided by facts, not outdated ideology.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.”

According to Congresswoman Titus’s statement (1), the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act of 2025 has received support from several organizations that include the “Drug Policy Alliance, the Nevada Cannabis Association, the National Cannabis Industry Association, the UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute, NORML, the Marijuana Policy Project, the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, the Parabola Center for Law and Policy, Doctors for Drug Policy Reform, the US Cannabis Roundtable, Cannabis Regulators of Color, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, the Minority Cannabis Business Association, and the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association.”

“The Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act of 2025 is a smart, surgical fix to promote much needed cannabis research. By targeting one deeply flawed provision that blocks scientific research and prevents us from understanding the public health impacts of cannabis legalization, this bill allows the government to study what’s already happening in dozens of states,” said Riana Durrett, Director, UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute (1). “Representative Titus is championing rational, responsible, and long overdue access to research. This is a commendable effort to prevent our nation from continuing to fall behind other countries that are forging ahead and surpassing the United States in cannabis research.”

“We are proud to endorse this bill that would encourage the federal government to study the impacts of cannabis legalization. Despite the fact that over two-thirds of Americans live in jurisdictions that allow the medical use of cannabis and 24 states have legalized adult-use cannabis, the federal government has maintained restrictions on research aimed at understanding the impacts of these policy changes since their inception,” said Lauren Daly, Marijuana Policy Project Interim Executive Director (1). “With state-legal cannabis becoming increasingly accessible across the nation, it is imperative for the federal government to enable and support comprehensive research into cannabis legalization, ensuring that future policies are informed by sound evidence.”

“Mandating that a federal agency charged with supporting public health and safety must ignore scientific research and oppose evidence-based policies that have been embraced by dozens of states is simply bad law, and out of step with where the vast majority of Americans stand on cannabis issues,” said Morgan Fox, Political Director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) (1). “The ONDCP should have the liberty to look at all the available information and explore policy solutions free from outdated political restrictions. We commend the sponsors for introducing this long overdue legislation and urge Congress to approve it without delay.”

“The Evidence-based Drug Policy Act of 2025 would pave the way for much-needed studies into cannabis, and we firmly believe those studies will show what Indigenous communities have always known—that plant-based medicine is a natural, beneficial way to treat ailments that is far superior to opioids and pharmaceuticals,” said Rob Pero (Bad River), founder of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (1). “The criminalization of cannabis is doing more harm to our communities than good, and it’s time to take an evidence-based approach to correcting cannabis policy at the federal level.”

Katharine Neill Harris, a drug policy fellow at Rice University, reported to The Guardian (3) that, “it might be possible for it to gain the bipartisan support it needs to pass.” Although the bill appears to have the potential to pass, the Trump administration has so far “seemed opposed to federal research funding more broadly,” Harris added (4).

References

1. Reps. Titus, Omar introduce evidence-based drug policy act https://titus.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4764 (accessed May 14, 2025).
2. H.R.3082 - Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act of 2025 https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3082/text/ih?overview=closed&format=xml (accessed May 14, 2025).
3. Cannabis policy impacts public health and health equity https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/27766/Highlights_Cannabis_Policy.pdf (accessed May 14, 2025).
4. Harris Green, H. New bill would ease rules on researching cannabis and other Schedule I drugs https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/10/cannabis-medical-research-bill (accessed May 14, 2025).