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Spotted: the National Academies’ new RFP on “marijuana testing” considers rescheduling.
This week, Cannabis Wire spotted a new cannabis RFP out of a somewhat uncommon source: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).
NASEM is a quiet but significant entity when it comes to cannabis policy. Its 2017 report, “The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids,” was repeatedly referenced in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. And, as Cannabis Wire reported, NASEM has a new committee, focused on “regulatory frameworks for the cannabis industry using a health equity lens,” and their output is expected later this year.
The RFP posted this week is titled “Marijuana Testing Regulations and Employer Policies: Impacts on Public Transportation Employment.” In short, NASEM writes that its goal with the RFP is to “provide clear, accurate, and current information related to the use of marijuana by current and prospective employees in safety-sensitive positions at public transportation agencies in the United States.”
And, they continue, the “deliverables should dispel misinformation and help public transportation agencies address challenges in recruiting, disciplining, and retaining safety-sensitive employees.”
One deliverable, for example: “The differences between currently available testing methods for marijuana and federally required methods should be presented along with the pros and cons of each method.”
Another notes that a “broad range of employment disciplinary practices, associated with marijuana use, should be presented, and compared.”
One particularly noteworthy one relates to the looming possibility of cannabis rescheduling: “An analysis is needed that addresses the possible implications on USDOT drug testing regulations if marijuana is rescheduled from Schedule I to Schedule III of the CSA.”
+ More: this is the second NASEM RFP in less than a year related to understanding cannabis impairment. Cannabis Wire reported on their other RFP, related to impaired driving, in November.
NIDA international forum spotlights medical cannabis.
This week, the 2024 NIDA International Forum, is underway in Montreal, Canada.
The forum includes research presentations and poster sessions, including one on cannabis, titled “Medical Cannabis in Professional Healthcare Education: Multinational Policies, Perspectives, and Competencies.”
This panel includes researchers from George Washington University, the University of Vermont, and the University of Chicago, among others.
