By on www.marijuanamoment.net
Bipartisan and bicameral congressional lawmakers are filing companion bills on Wednesday that would clarify that federal “Right to Try” (RTT) laws give seriously ill patients access to Schedule I drugs, including marijuana and psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA.
Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rand Paul (R-KY), along with Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Madeleine Dean (D-PA) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) will be sponsoring the legislation.
While the bipartisan measures would make a technical amendment to the text of the existing statute, the primary purpose is to clarify—in the face of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) objections—that RTT policy as signed into law by former President Donald Trump already means that patients with terminal health conditions can obtain and use investigational drugs that have undergone clinical trials, even if they’re Schedule I controlled substances.
It’s a point of clarification that could have a direct impact on an ongoing case against DEA, which was sued after refusing to give an oncology doctor access to psilocybin to treat his terminally ill cancer patients. Psilocybin, along with MDMA, has already advanced in clinical trials and been designated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a “breakthrough therapy.” Cannabis has also undergone requisite clinical trials.
By on www.marijuanamoment.net
