I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6495 
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 
JULY 24, 2018 
Ms. GABBARD (for herself, Mr. CURBELO of Florida, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, 
Mr. SOTO, Mr. O’ROURKE, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. 
GAETZ, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. NORTON, Ms. TITUS, Mr. CRIST, Mr. GAR-
RETT, Mr. CORREA, Ms. LEE, Mr. POCAN, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. QUIGLEY, 
Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. POLIS, Ms. SCHA-
KOWSKY, and Mr. COHEN) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to 
the Committees on the Judiciary, and Education and the 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 com-
mittee 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 pro-
grams, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Marijuana Data Col-
lection Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Nearly two-thirds of Americans—about 64 
percent—favor marijuana legalization. 
(2) A total of 31 States, the District of Colum-
bia, Puerto Rico, and Guam have legalized mari-
juana for medicinal use, and of those, eight States 
and the District of Columbia have legalized mari-
juana for adult non-medicinal use. 
(3) Despite State legalization, marijuana re-
mains illegal under Federal law, listed in schedule I 
under the Controlled Substances Act. 
(4) Every day, more Americans die from over-
dosing on opioids. In 2016, the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention estimated that more than 
42,000 Americans died from opioid-related drug 
overdoses. President Trump has, on two separate oc-
casions, declared the opioid crisis as a public health 
emergency. 
(5) Studies suggest that increased access to 
marijuana is associated with reductions in opioid 
abuse and opioid-related deaths, among other eco-
nomic and social benefits: 
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(A) A study published in the Journal of 
the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 
2014 that compared mortality rates between 
States that legalized medical marijuana versus 
States that have not legalized medical mari-
juana found that States that had legalized med-
ical marijuana had, on average, 20 percent 
fewer opioid-related overdose deaths in the first 
year of legalization compared to States that had 
not legalized marijuana. This difference wid-
ened in subsequent years after legalization. 
(B) A study published in the American 
Journal of Public Health in 2017 found that 
opioid-related deaths tended to decline after the 
legalization of non-medicinal marijuana for 
adults in the State of Colorado. This study esti-
mated a 6.5 percent reduction in opioid-related 
deaths compared to pre-legalization. 
(6) Due to marijuana legalization, States have 
generated millions in taxes and revenue and have al-
located these funds into public health, education, 
economic development, restorative justice, and job 
creation, such as— 
(A) substance use disorder treatment and 
drug use prevention programs; 
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