March 2024 Newsletter
Prepared by Van Scoyoc Associates 

Delta-8-THC Use
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, more than 11 percent of 12th graders in the U.S. have used Delta-8 THC. Read more here.

House Veterans Affairs Committee Hearing on Cannabis and Psychedelics Legislation
On March 21, the House Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing on a number of bills, including one regarding veterans’ cannabis research and another on psychedelic drugs. Read more here.

Blumenauer, Harris Push HHS for Answers on Federal Barriers to Marijuana Research
On March 12, Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Andy Harris, M.D. (R-MD) sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) demanding they remedy the “ineffective implementation” of the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act. Read more here.

GOP Senators Write DEA on Marijuana Rescheduling Concerns
On March 27, Senators Jim Risch, Mitt Romney and Pete Ricketts sent a letter voicing concerns over the Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation to reschedule marijuana from a schedule I to schedule III-controlled substance. Read more here.

President Sends FY25 Budget Request to Congress
On March 11, President Biden formally kicked off the FY25 budget cycle with the release of his Budget Request to Congress. For NIH’s base budget, not including ARPA-H, the President proposed a total of $46.390 billion in Discretionary Budget Authority, which represents a $265 million increase over an equivalent FY23 level. The budget also includes $1.668 billion for NIDA, $5 million over FY23 and proposes a name change for NIDA to National Institute on Drugs and Addiction. Read more here.

Budget Hearings Get Underway with Secretary Becerra
On March 14, Secretary Becerra testified before the Senate Finance Committee on the FY25 HHS budget. At the hearing, the scheduling of marijuana was a discussion point. Read more here.

Fiscal Year 2024 Bills Signed into Law
The Fiscal Year 2024 funding bills were signed into law wrapping up the funding cycle six months late. The bill includes $48.6 billion for NIH, an increase of $300 million over FY23, and $1.7 billion for the NIDA, the same as the FY23 level. Bill text, report language and summaries prepared by the Senate Appropriations Committee are available here.

Secretary Becerra Testifies before House Committees
On March 20, HHS Secretary Becerra testified before the House Labor HHS Appropriations Subcommittee and the Ways and Means Committee on the Administration’s FY25 budget request. Marijuana was raised at both hearings with Republicans and Democrats differing in their perspectives on the issue. Rep. Blumenauer (D-OR) reprimanded Becerra for a lack of action on the Administration’s part on de-scheduling at the Ways and Means Committee while Republicans at the Appropriations Committee took the opposite approach and raised concerns about mental health issues among youth and marijuana exposure.  Read more here and here.

Executive Order on Women’s Health Research and Innovation
On March 18, President Biden issued an Executive Order (EO) and announced new actions to advance women’s health research and innovation. The coordinated NIH-wide effort will be co-chaired by the NIH Office of the Director, the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, and the institute directors from NIAMS; the National Institute on Aging (NIA); the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). A fact sheet can be found here.