I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1587 

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into a 

10-year arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct 

and update biennially a study on the effects of State legalized marijuana 

programs, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 7, 2019 

Ms. GABBARD (for herself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. SOTO, Ms. 

NORTON, Ms. TITUS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. 

CRIST, Mr. GAETZ, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. DELBENE, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. POCAN, Ms. 

OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. 

KHANNA, Mr. CORREA, Mr. PERLMUTTER, and Ms. DEGETTE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy 

and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and 

Education and Labor, 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 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 

enter into a 10-year arrangement with the National 

Academy of Sciences to conduct and update biennially 

a study on the effects of State legalized marijuana programs, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Marijuana Data Col3 lection Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Nearly two-thirds of Americans—about 68 

7 percent—favor marijuana legalization. 

8 (2) A total of 33 States, the District of Colum9 bia, Puerto Rico, and Guam have legalized mari10 juana for medicinal use, and of those, 10 States and 

11 the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana 

12 for adult non-medicinal use. 

13 (3) Despite State legalization, marijuana re14 mains illegal under Federal law, listed in schedule I 

15 under the Controlled Substances Act. 

16 (4) Every day, more Americans die from over17 dosing on opioids. In 2016, the Centers for Disease 

18 Control and Prevention estimated that more than 

19 42,000 Americans died from opioid-related drug 

20 overdoses. President Trump has, on two separate oc21 casions, declared the opioid crisis as a public health 

22 emergency. 

23 (5) Studies suggest that increased access to 

24 marijuana is associated with reductions in opioid 

25 abuse and opioid-related deaths, among other eco26 nomic and social benefits: 


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1 (A) A study published in the Journal of 

2 the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 

3 2014 that compared mortality rates between 

4 States that legalized medical marijuana versus 

5 States that have not legalized medical mari6 juana found that States that had legalized med7 ical marijuana had, on average, 20 percent 

8 fewer opioid-related overdose deaths in the first 

9 year of legalization compared to States that had 

10 not legalized marijuana. This difference wid11 ened in subsequent years after legalization. 

12 (B) A study published in the American 

13 Journal of Public Health in 2017 found that 

14 opioid-related deaths tended to decline after the 

15 legalization of non-medicinal marijuana for 

16 adults in the State of Colorado. This study esti17 mated a 6.5-percent reduction in opioid-related 

18 deaths compared to pre-legalization. 

19 (6) Due to marijuana legalization, States have 

20 generated millions in taxes and revenue and have al21 located these funds into public health, education, 

22 economic development, restorative justice, and job 

23 creation, such as— 

24 (A) substance use disorder treatment and 

25 drug use prevention programs; 


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1 (B) school construction; 

2 (C) behavioral health programs; 

3 (D) State alcohol and drug treatments 

4 funds; 

5 (E) basic health plans; 

6 (F) community residential centers; 

7 (G) youth drug use prevention; 

8 (H) jail diversion; 

9 (I) mental health treatment; and 

10 (J) job creation and placement. 

11 (7) A robust and properly regulated marijuana 

12 industry wherein States are allowed to operate mari13 juana programs free from Federal interference 

14 stands to benefit States’ public health, education, 

15 economic, and law enforcement and judicial sectors. 

16 SEC. 3. REPORT CONCERNING THE EFFECTS OF STATE LE17 GALIZED MARIJUANA PROGRAMS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

19 Human Services, in coordination with the Department of 

20 Justice, the Department of Labor, and (to the greatest 

21 extent possible) with relevant State agencies responsible 

22 for health programs and activities in States that have le23 galized marijuana for medicinal or non-medicinal use, 

24 shall enter into a 10-year arrangement with the National 

25 Academy of Sciences— 


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1 (1) to complete a study, not later than 18 

2 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and 

3 to update such study on a biennial basis thereafter 

4 for the duration of the arrangement period, on the 

5 effects of State legalized marijuana programs on the 

6 economy, public health, criminal justice, and employ7 ment in the respective States; 

8 (2) upon the completion of the initial study pur9 suant to paragraph (1) and upon each update to the 

10 study, to prepare or update a report on the results 

11 of such study and submit such report to the Con12 gress; and 

13 (3) not later than 30 days after the date of sub14 mission of the initial report under paragraph (2), 

15 develop and publish best practices on data collection 

16 under subsection (e). 

17 (b) STUDY CONSIDERATIONS.—The study pursuant 

18 to subsection (a)(1) shall consider the effects of State le19 galized marijuana programs, including yearly rates and 

20 trends over the course of the study under such subsection, 

21 with respect to the following: 

22 (1) REVENUES AND STATE ALLOCATIONS.— 

23 (A) The monetary amounts generated 

24 through revenues, taxes, and any other financial 

25 benefits. 


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1 (B) The purposes and relative amounts for 

2 which these funds were used. 

3 (C) The total impact on the State and its 

4 budget. 

5 (2) MEDICINAL USE OF MARIJUANA.— 

6 (A) The rates of medicinal use among dif7 ferent population groups, including children, the 

8 elderly, veterans, and individuals with disabil9 ities. 

10 (B) The purpose of such use. 

11 (C) Which medical conditions medical 

12 marijuana is most frequently purchased and 

13 used for. 

14 (3) SUBSTANCE USE.— 

15 (A) The rates of overdoses with opioids 

16 and other painkillers. 

17 (B) The rates of admission in health care 

18 facilities, emergency rooms, and volunteer treat19 ment facilities related to overdoses with opioids 

20 and other painkillers. 

21 (C) The rates of opioid-related and other 

22 painkiller-related crimes to one’s self and to the 

23 community. 

24 (D) The rates of opioid prescriptions and 

25 other pain killers. 


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1 (4) IMPACTS ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE.— 

2 (A) The rates of marijuana-related arrests 

3 for possession, cultivation, and distribution, and 

4 of these arrests, the percentages that involved a 

5 secondary charge unrelated to marijuana pos6 session, cultivation, or distribution, including— 

7 (i) the rates of such arrests on the 

8 Federal level, including the number of 

9 Federal prisoners so arrested, disaggre10 gated by sex, age, race, and ethnicity of 

11 the prisoners; and 

12 (ii) the rates of such arrests on the 

13 State level, including the number of State 

14 prisoners so arrested, disaggregated by 

15 sex, age, race, and ethnicity. 

16 (B) The rates of arrests and citations on 

17 the Federal and State levels related to teenage 

18 use of marijuana. 

19 (C) The rates of arrests on the Federal 

20 and State levels for unlawful driving under the 

21 influence of a substance, and the rates of such 

22 arrests involving marijuana. 

23 (D) The rates of marijuana-related pros24 ecutions, court filings, and imprisonments. 


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1 (E) The total monetary amounts expended 

2 for marijuana-related enforcement, arrests, 

3 court filings and proceedings, and imprisonment 

4 before and after legalization, including Federal 

5 expenditures disaggregated according to wheth6 er the laws being enforced were Federal or 

7 State. 

8 (F) The total number and rate of defend9 ants in Federal criminal prosecutions asserting 

10 as a defense that their conduct was in compli11 ance with applicable State law legalizing mari12 juana usage, and the effects of such assertions. 

13 (5) EMPLOYMENT.— 

14 (A) The amount of jobs created in each 

15 State, differentiating between direct and indi16 rect employment. 

17 (B) The amount of jobs expected to be cre18 ated in the next 5 years, and in the next 10 

19 years, as a result of the State’s marijuana in20 dustry. 

21 (c) STUDY TIMEFRAME.—The study pursuant to sub22 section (a)(1) shall consider the data collected and ana23 lyzed in connection with the items listed in subsection (b) 

24 in the respective States to the extent possible across the 

25 period— 


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1 (1) beginning 5 years before the effective date 

2 of legalization of marijuana in the State; and 

3 (2) ending on a date determined by the Na4 tional Academy of Sciences to allow collection and 

5 analysis of the most recent data available. 

6 (d) REPORT CONTENTS.—Reports pursuant to sub7 section (a)(2) shall— 

8 (1) address both State programs that have le9 galized marijuana for medicinal use and those that 

10 have legalized marijuana for adult non-medicinal use 

11 and to the extent practicable distinguish between 

12 such programs and their effects; 

13 (2) include a national assessment of average 

14 trends across States with such programs in relation 

15 to the effects on economy, public health, criminal 

16 justice, and employment in the respective States, in17 cluding with respect to the items listed in subsection 

18 (b); and 

19 (3) describe— 

20 (A) any barriers that impeded the ability 

21 to complete or update aspects of the study re22 quired by subsection (a)(1) and how such bar23 riers can be overcome for purposes of future 

24 studies; and 


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1 (B) any gaps in the data sought for the 

2 study required by subsection (a)(1) and how 

3 these gaps can be eliminated or otherwise ad4 dressed for purposes of future studies. 

5 (e) BEST PRACTICES FOR DATA COLLECTION BY

6 STATES.—The best practices pursuant to subsection 

7 (a)(3) shall consist of best practices for the collection by 

8 States of the information described in the items listed in 

9 subsection (b), including such best practices for improv10 ing— 

11 (1) data collection; 

12 (2) analytical capacity; 

13 (3) research integrity; and 

14 (4) the comparability of data across States. 

Æ 


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