California Governor Gavin Newsom (Democratic Party) signed into law on Monday (13) a bill that seeks to streamline approvals for research involving controlled substances, specifically those classified as Schedule I and Schedule II in the United States, including cannabis and various psychedelics, as reported by Marijuana Moment.
 
The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D), grants the Research Advisory Panel of California (RAPC) new powers until January 2028 to expedite the approval process for these research studies. 

Now, the president of this panel may delegate to two or more members the task of reviewing study proposals and approving them on behalf of the entire panel, without the need to convene the full meeting. 

Furthermore, the law authorizes members to conduct consultations and reviews asynchronously, meaning exchanging contributions independently of being all gathered at the same time.

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Motivations, Potential Impacts, and Challenges

The central rationale for the new legislative framework is to allow studies evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of marijuana, psychedelics, or other tightly controlled substances to be conducted more expeditiously. 

Among the cases of interest are treatments for opioid dependence, traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental health conditions, especially in American military veterans, a group that has been advocating strongly for the expansion of these research efforts.

On the other hand, several practical challenges still remain. While the law streamlines internal processes within the state of California, it does not alter the fact that these substances are federally controlled, meaning researchers will still need external authorizations, such as those from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the USA, for certain stages.

At the time of the law's enactment, it is still pending to establish how ethical control, participant monitoring, result transparency, and adequate funding will be ensured.

With information from Marijuana Moment.