VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2023
Latest action. Motion by Senator Schumer to reconsider the vote by which clotureThe Senate's only procedure for ending debate over objection. Most legislation needs 60 votes; nominations need a simple majority.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on the motion to proceed to S. 326 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 97) entered in Senate.
VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2023
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study the effects of cannabis on veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system and have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or chronic pain (i.e., eligible veterans).
First, the bill requires the VA to conduct an observational, 18-month study on the effects of cannabis on the health outcomes of eligible veterans. The VA must report on the study and address whether it is able to meet criteria necessary to conduct clinical trials.
Then, if the VA determines that it is able to proceed, it must carry out a series of clinical trials on the effects of cannabis appropriate for investigational use, as determined by the Food and Drug Administration, on the outcomes of eligible veterans. The VA must carry out a long-term observational study of the clinical trial participants.
The VA may terminate the trials if it is unable to meet clinical guideline requirements or the trials would create excessive risk to participants.
The VA must ensure that the study and trials are representative of the demographics of veterans in the United States, as determined by the most recent data from the American Community Survey of the Bureau of the Census.
The study and trials must include mechanisms to ensure data preservation and registration as necessary (in an anonymous form).
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate" stage on March 23, 2023. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Motion by Senator Schumer to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 326 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 97) entered in Senate.
Civibrief does not map this action to a stage in the process. See the official record.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.
The record's latest action, on April 26, 2023: Motion by Senator Schumer to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 326 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 97) entered in Senate.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one has no outstanding steps listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced it on February 9, 2023, and 9 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 5 Democrats, 2 Republicans, 2 independents.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on February 9, 2023, 1356 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1280 days ago, on April 26, 2023.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 118th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2025 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateMotion by Senator Schumer to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 326 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 97) entered in Senate.
- HouseNot stated in the latest action
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action