Executive Order 14370: Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research

What does Executive Order 14370 do?

The text directs HHS and NIH to develop real-world-evidence and research models, and FDA to clarify lawful research and enforcement approach.

Reading the operative provisions of Executive Order 14370

EO 14370 directs agencies to review marijuana scheduling, expand research using real-world evidence and improve lawful research access involving cannabis and cannabidiol. The Federal Register text of EO 14370 sets agency assignments; it does not itself move marijuana to a new schedule or legalize possession under federal law.

Marijuana remains subject to the Controlled Substances Act unless and until the Attorney General completes the rescheduling process under that statute. Rescheduling can change regulatory controls but does not automatically approve cannabis products as medicines or remove state-law conflicts. FDA approval, DEA registration and state licensing are separate questions. Researchers need the appropriate federal permissions and must follow human-subject and product-safety requirements.

Real-world evidence may help agencies understand patterns of use and outcomes, but observational data can be incomplete or confounded. It does not replace controlled trials where those are required to establish safety and efficacy. Agencies must also protect health information and ensure that research methods are transparent. The order’s goal is to facilitate lawful study and review; the effect should be measured through agency decisions, research access and published evidence rather than assumptions that the law changed on signing.

The order also asks agencies to improve lawful research access and examine cannabidiol products derived from hemp. Hemp and marijuana are treated differently under federal law, but individual products can raise separate questions involving THC content, drug approval and advertising claims. Researchers must identify the product being studied, the applicable schedule and the agency permission required. This specificity is important because “cannabis research” covers substances with different legal and pharmacological profiles.