> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.fdaweb.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Biden Signs Medical Marijuana/Cannabidiol Research Law
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/biden-signs-medical-marijuana-cannabidiol-research-law/
- Published: 2022-12-02T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T18:08:21.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: FDA Policy/General, #legacy-id-D5153311

President Biden 12/2 signed into law HR 8454 “Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act,” which creates a new registration process for conducting research on marijuana and for manufacturing such products for research purposes and drug development. The law directs the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to follow specified procedures to register (**1**) practitioners to conduct marijuana research, and (**2**) manufacturers to supply marijuana for the research. It also allows certain registered entities (including institutions of higher education, practitioners, and manufacturers) to manufacture, distribute, dispense, or possess marijuana or cannabidiol (CBD) for the purposes of medical research. Additionally, the bill directs the DEA to register manufacturers and distributors of CBD or marijuana for the purpose of commercial production of an approved drug that contains marijuana or its derivative.

Noteworthy is that the law does not de-schedule cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act, and it retains cannabis as Schedule 1 drug. “This means that cannabis will still be deemed to be a drug with a high likelihood for abuse, with no accepted medical use,” according to an [analysis](https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/cannabis-hemp/1254660/medical-cannabis-research-bill-set-to-become-law-?ref=fdaweb.com) by Duane Morris attorney **Anna Wills**.