I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8540 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the designation 
of institutions of higher education as Centers of Excellence in Cannabis 
Research, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 27, 2022 
Mr. PETERS (for himself and Mr. JOYCE of Ohio) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 
in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
the designation of institutions of higher education as 
Centers of Excellence in Cannabis Research, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Developing and Na-
tionalizing Key Cannabis Research Act of 2022’’. 
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SEC. 2. CANNABIS RESEARCH AT THE DEPARTMENT OF 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. 
(a) NATIONAL CANNABIS RESEARCH AGENDA.—Part 
B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
284 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 409K. NATIONAL CANNABIS RESEARCH AGENDA. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of the Developing and Nationalizing 
Key Cannabis Research Act of 2022, the Director of NIH, 
in collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention, the Commissioner of Food 
and Drugs, and the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health 
and Substance Use, shall develop a national cannabis re-
search agenda that addresses key questions and gaps in 
evidence, including with respect to each of the following: 
‘‘(1) The safety and efficacy of cannabis in pro-
viding therapeutic benefits for certain priority dis-
eases or conditions, which may include epilepsy, mul-
tiple sclerosis-related spasticity, chemotherapy-in-
duced pain and discomfort, using cannabis as an al-
ternative to opioid analgesics for acute or chronic 
pain, sleep apnea, Tourette syndrome, anxiety, post- 
traumatic stress disorder, and any other disease or 
condition determined to be appropriate and of im-
portance by the Director. 
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‘‘(2) The effect of cannabis on at-risk popu-
lations, including children, older individuals, and 
pregnant or breast-feeding women. 
‘‘(3) The nontherapeutic impacts of cannabis 
use in the short-term and long-term. 
‘‘(4) The long-term effects of cannabis use, in-
cluding dose-response relationship and the connec-
tion between cannabis use and behavioral health. 
‘‘(5) The clinically appropriate dosages and 
modes of delivery of cannabis. 
‘‘(6) Public safety considerations related to can-
nabis, including— 
‘‘(A) variation in the potency of cannabis 
products; 
‘‘(B) youth access to and use of cannabis, 
including marketing, packaging, edible formula-
tions, and flavor options that target youth; 
‘‘(C) risk factors for cannabis misuse; 
‘‘(D) impaired driving related to cannabis 
use; 
‘‘(E) accidental ingestion of cannabis; and 
‘‘(F) relative risk of cannabis as compared 
to alcohol and tobacco. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘can-
nabis’ means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L., 
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whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin ex-
tracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, 
manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of 
such plant, its seeds, or its resin.’’. 
(b) SURVEILLANCE ACTIVITIES.—Part A of title III 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 310B. SURVEILLANCE ACTIVITIES ON CANNABIS USE. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention, in collaboration with the Assistant Secretary for 
Mental Health and Substance Use, the Administrator of 
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Di-
rector of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 
shall carry out surveillance activities to collect population- 
wide data on cannabis use. 
‘‘(b) PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out activities 
under this section, the Secretary may collect, as ap-
propriate, with respect to cannabis use— 
‘‘(A) data on— 
‘‘(i) health outcomes, including bio-
logical data; 
‘‘(ii) health care utilization, which 
shall include hospitalizations and utiliza-
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tion of emergency departments related to 
consumption of cannabis, including among 
youth; 
‘‘(iii) demographic factors associated 
with cannabis use; 
‘‘(iv) the variety of products and deliv-
ery modes used; and 
‘‘(v) other relevant health information 
to improve the understanding of cannabis 
use in all age groups and sub-populations; 
and 
‘‘(B) data through public health surveil-
lance systems, surveys, questionnaires, and 
databases of health care records, including, as 
appropriate, the Behavioral Risk Factor Sur-
veillance System, the Youth Risk Behavioral 
Surveillance System, the Monitoring the Future 
health survey, the National Survey on Drug 
Use and Health, or the Healthcare Cost and 
Utilization Project (or any successor surveys). 
‘‘(2) PRIVACY.—Any data collected under para-
graph (1) shall be collected in manner that protects 
personal privacy to the extent, at a minimum, that 
is required under applicable Federal and State law. 
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‘‘(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘can-
nabis’ means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L., 
whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin ex-
tracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, 
manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of 
such plant, its seeds, or its resin.’’. 
SEC. 3. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN CANNABIS RE-
SEARCH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Part B of title IV of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284 et seq.), as amended 
by section 2, is further amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘SEC. 409L. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN CANNABIS RE-
SEARCH. 
‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of NIH shall 
designate institutions of higher education as Centers 
of Excellence in Cannabis Research for the purpose 
of interdisciplinary research related to cannabis and 
other biomedical, behavioral, and social issues re-
lated to cannabis. 
‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—To be designated as a 
Center of Excellence in Cannabis Research, an insti-
tution of higher education shall submit an applica-
tion to, and receive approval from, the Director of 
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NIH. Such an application shall be submitted in such 
manner and contain such information as the Direc-
tor of NIH may reasonably require. The Director of 
NIH may not approve such an application unless— 
‘‘(A) the application contains or is sup-
ported by reasonable assurances that— 
‘‘(i) the applicant has the experience, 
or capability— 
‘‘(I) to conduct, through bio-
medical, behavioral, social, and related 
disciplines, long-term research on can-
nabis; and 
‘‘(II) to provide coordination of 
such research among such disciplines; 
‘‘(ii) the applicant has available to it 
sufficient personnel and facilities (includ-
ing laboratory, reference, storage, security, 
and data analysis facilities) to carry out 
the research plan required under subpara-
graph (B); 
‘‘(iii) the applicant has the capacity to 
conduct academic courses and train stu-
dents and professionals on appropriate re-
search and knowledge of cannabis; and 
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‘‘(iv) the applicant will secure State 
funds for research related to cannabis to 
complement any Federal funds for such re-
search under this section; and 
‘‘(B) the application contains a detailed 5- 
year plan for research relating to cannabis. 
‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In selecting institutions of 
higher education for designation as Centers of Ex-
cellence in Cannabis Research, the Director of NIH 
shall give priority to such institutions that have 
proven track records in medicinal cannabis research. 
‘‘(4) GEOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION.—The Di-
rector of NIH shall, to the extent practicable, ensure 
geographic representation across the United States 
in designating institutions of higher education as 
Centers of Excellence in Cannabis Research. 
‘‘(5) TERM
OF
DESIGNATION.—A designation 
under this section shall be for a period of 5 years, 
so long as the institution of higher education con-
tinues to meet the requirements of paragraph (2). 
An institution of higher education may reapply in 
accordance with the requirements of paragraph (2) 
for a subsequent designation under this section. 
‘‘(b) CANNABIS RESEARCH.— 
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‘‘(1) 
GRANTS
OR
COOPERATIVE
AGREE-
MENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director of NIH 
may make grants to, or enter into cooperative 
agreements with, 10 Centers that have been 
designated under this section to expand the cur-
rent and ongoing interdisciplinary research and 
clinical trials relating to cannabis research. 
‘‘(B) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—To carry out this paragraph, there is 
authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 
‘‘(2) RESEARCH
RESULTS.—The Director of 
NIH shall promptly disseminate research results 
under this subsection to relevant governmental, aca-
demic, and research entities. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘cannabis’ means all parts of the 
plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing or not; 
the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part 
of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, 
salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such 
plant, its seeds, or its resin. 
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‘‘(2) The term ‘institution of higher education’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 101(a) of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965.’’. 
(b) REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS.—Section 303 of 
the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823) is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(l) REGISTRATION OF PRACTITIONERS AT CENTERS 
OF EXCELLENCE IN CANNABIS RESEARCH.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall 
register under subsection (f) practitioners at Centers 
of Excellence in Cannabis Research designated 
under section 409L of the Public Health Service Act 
to conduct research with marijuana. 
‘‘(2) TESTING OF CONSTITUENTS.—To the ex-
tent a Center of Excellence in Cannabis Research in 
a State tests marijuana products that are lawfully 
available for such testing in such State for 
cannabinoid and noncannabinoid constituents, no 
sanction under this title shall apply to such testing, 
including the acquisition of such products for such 
testing. 
‘‘(3) USE
OF
MARIJUANA
PRODUCTS
UNDER 
STATE
LAW.—No sanction under this title shall 
apply to the acquisition or use of marijuana prod-
ucts for a clinical trial or other research to the ex-
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