Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8394

Higher Education Marijuana Research Act of 2026

Marijuana: Research Rules for Colleges

Apr 20·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committee

The Higher Education Marijuana Research Act of 2026 was introduced in the House on April 19, 2026. It is currently sitting in four different committees for review. No further action has taken place since it was introduced.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

While marijuana research has some bipartisan support, bills that change drug laws often face long delays in the Senate and require significant Republican backing to pass.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 3829 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 3829 (118th) →

Key Points

Colleges in states where marijuana is legal could buy it directly from state regulators or law enforcement for research. This would allow scientists to study the actual products sold in stores rather than just government-grown samples.
The bill protects students and researchers from losing their federal financial aid or having their immigration status affected because they worked on marijuana research projects. It also ensures schools do not lose federal funding for hosting these studies.
The DEA would be required to create a new office to help universities navigate the licensing process. It also makes schools a priority when the government decides who gets a license to handle controlled substances for research.
Two new grant programs would provide 30 million dollars a year to fund studies on the medical benefits of marijuana and how it affects farming and other crops. Schools in legal states and minority-serving institutions would get priority for these funds.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Apr 20, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Agriculture, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Apr 20, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Higher Education Marijuana Research Act of 2026

Bill NumberHR 8394

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Agriculture, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)

D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.