Awards for cannabis research

(a) In general The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section as the Secretary) shall award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to public and nonprofit entities (including consortiums of such entities) to conduct or support research on short- and long-term health effects of cannabis, considering beneficial and harmful effects and public health impacts. Such research may— (1) consider the etiology, epidemiology, and health effects of cannabis use in at-risk or under researched populations, such as pediatric and older populations, individuals with chronic illnesses, pregnant and lactating women and their infants and children, and heavy cannabis users; (2) consider the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of cannabis, modes of delivery, different concentrations, in various populations, including the dose-response relationships of cannabis and tetrahydrocannabinol or other cannabinoids; (3) consider the harms and benefits associated with understudied cannabis products, such as edibles, concentrates, and topical products; (4) consider the short- and long-term harms and benefits associated with exposure to chemicals and other products commonly involved in the growing, possessing, and selling of cannabis; (5) utilize clinical trials on the potential beneficial and harmful health effects of using different forms of cannabis, such as inhaled whole cannabis plant and oral cannabis; (6) seek to characterize the health effects of cannabis on unstudied and understudied health endpoints, such as epilepsy in pediatric populations, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, childhood and adult cancers, cannabis-related overdoses and poisonings, and other high-priority health endpoints; and (7) provide support for the development of novel diagnostic technologies that allow for rapid, accurate, and noninvasive assessment of cannabis exposure and impairment. (b) Application To be eligible to receive an award under this section, an entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. (c) Priority In selecting award recipients under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to any entity that is a minority-serving institution (defined, for purposes of this subsection, as an institution and program described in section 326(e)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1063b(e)(1)) and institution described in section 371(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a))). (d) Considerations In making awards under this section, the Secretary, to the extent practicable, may ensure equitable distribution of awards among the geographical regions of the United States. (e) Reporting (1) Reports from entities Each entity, or consortium of such entities, that receives an award under this section shall submit an annual report to the Secretary on the activities conducted under such award, and other information as the Secretary may require. (2) Report to congress Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that provides a summary of the activities associated with awards made under this section. (3) Public availability The Secretary shall make reports submitted under paragraph (2) publicly available on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services. (f) Funding In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out this section.