Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Agriculture, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Higher Education Marijuana Research Act of 2026 streamlines the process for colleges and universities to conduct marijuana research by making them priority applicants for federal licenses and allowing them to obtain marijuana from state or tribal regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies. Students and researchers participating in approved, controlled marijuana studies would be protected from losing federal financial aid, federal funding for their institutions, or experiencing immigration consequences as a result of their participation. The bill establishes a new Drug Enforcement Administration Office of University Relations to provide technical assistance and establishes a working group to recommend ways to simplify the registration process for marijuana research at higher education institutions. The legislation creates two grant programs totaling fifteen million dollars annually through 2030, one through the National Institute of Drug Abuse for medical and public health research and another through the Department of Agriculture for agricultural studies, with priority given to institutions in states or tribal lands where marijuana is legal and to minority-serving colleges. The bill requires the Drug Enforcement Administration to submit annual reports to Congress tracking applications for marijuana research licenses from different types of applicants.
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