Presently, 36 states have approved medicinal cannabis programs and 19 states have approved recreational use, however, cannabis still remains a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) since its classification in 1970. Although the majority of states now have at least one type of approved cannabis program, the opportunity to conduct cannabis research in the United States has been static on the federal and state levels due to its classification.

Other CSA Schedule I drugs include heroin, ecstasy, LSD, and Peyote, which are all drugs deemed to have a high potential for abuse with no accepted medical use in the United States. Due to its classification, in order for researchers to conduct clinical studies using cannabis, they must navigate a series of review processes with state, federal or private agencies, or some combination of regulatory authorities including, but not limited to: institutional review boards, state boards of medical examiners, a researcher’s own institution (e.g., a university), or offices or departments of state government. On the federal agencies side, a researcher may have to coordinate their efforts and findings with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). To conduct cannabis studies on the health effects of the use of cannabis and cannabis products, researchers should be mindful of the related regulatory framework involved.