Grassley seeks more info on medical marijuana research at federal hearing

DES MOINES - Advocates could not convince state lawmakers to expand Iowa's narrow medical marijuana program, but Hawkeye State help may be coming at the federal level.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, recently conducted a hearing that explored ways to produce more research into the medicinal capabilities of cannabidiol, an oil byproduct of the marijuana plant.

'One of the things we heard in our hearing is that we need more information and more research before a determination can be made if (cannabidiol) is effective and safe,” Grassley said during a telephone interview this week.

Iowa law allows parents to obtain and possess cannabidiol to treat children with epilepsy. But those who would use the product say the law is useless because cannabidiol is not produced or dispensed in Iowa. Most states that dispense medicinal cannabidiol do so only for their residents, and federal laws prohibit the product from being transported across state lines.

Advocates this year were unable to persuade state lawmakers, particularly Republicans in the Iowa House, to expand the state's medical marijuana program by allowing for cannabidiol to be produced and dispensed here.

Grassley said he conducted the hearing after receiving comments from parents of children who suffer from epileptic seizures and state lawmakers who think reclassifying cannabidiol could lead to more research. He said progress already has been made as the federal Food and Drug Administration has agreed to remove one level of review that Grassley said was stifling research, and other agencies have agreed to perform their own research on cannabidiol.

'These were both breakthroughs that we think is going to encourage research,” Grassley said.

Grassley said another possibility to expanding access to cannabidiol is through a Food and Drug Administration program that allows for access to products before they are officially approved by the administration.

He said he does not think the federal government needs to reclassify marijuana, which advocates have said will lead to more research on its medicinal value.

'I think our hearing and the letters that we got answered from (the Drug Enforcement Administration) as well as (Health and Human Services) show that you can do research without having to reschedule,” Grassley said.

Grassley said he thinks the hearing was productive, and he and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., plan to continue to pursue the issue.