# 119-hr-8394: Higher Education Marijuana Research Act of 2026

119-hr-8394, Higher Education Marijuana Research Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (D-NV); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8394
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8394
- Congress: 119
- Title: Higher Education Marijuana Research Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-20
- Sponsor: Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (D-NV)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Expands and accelerates university marijuana research.** This bill would change federal rules and create programs to make it easier for colleges and certain state or tribal entities to study marijuana for medical, public health, and agricultural uses. - Protects students and researchers by preventing loss of federal student aid, federal funding, or immigration consequences for participating in covered marijuana research. - Eases research access and oversight by allowing eligible institutions to obtain marijuana from State or tribal regulatory bodies or law enforcement for study, by directing the Drug Enforcement Administration to weigh IHE status in license decisions and to report annually on license applications, and by creating a DEA Office of University Relations to provide technical help. - Funds academic study through two competitive grant programs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse would run medical-benefit grants and the U.S. Department of Agriculture would run agricultural grants. Each program would receive $15 million per year from 2026 through 2030, with priority for IHEs in legal States or tribal lands and for minority institutions. *Would increase federal spending by about $30 million per year from 2026 through 2030, totaling roughly $150 million over that period.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5] (D-MN), 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Protections for college marijuana research: benefit, high. If enacted, colleges would be allowed to sponsor approved marijuana research without losing federal funds. Covered students and researchers in approved, controlled-setting studies would not lose federal student aid or other federal funding because of participation. The bill would also protect the i…
- DEA help and license transparency: benefit, low. If enacted, the DEA would have to create an Office of University Relations within 90 days to help college researchers get registrations for controlled substances and to build tools for application amendments. The DEA would also have to consider whether a section 303 license applicant is a college o…
- NIH grants for medical marijuana study: benefit, low. If enacted, NIH would set up a National Institute on Drug Abuse program to fund medical and public health research on marijuana. The program would award competitive grants only to colleges and universities that the Director finds able to do the work. The bill would give priority to schools in state…
- NIH university research working group: benefit, low. If enacted, NIH would form a working group within 180 days that includes NIH, FDA, DEA, and two university appointees with marijuana research experience. The group would have to report to several House and Senate committees within one year. The report would summarize the status of marijuana researc…
- USDA grants for marijuana agriculture: benefit, low. If enacted, the Department of Agriculture would start a program to fund college research on marijuana farming and crop effects. Grants would pay for agricultural studies only, like growth techniques, conservation, and impacts on other crops. The Secretary would give priority to schools in states or…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025
- 119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8394 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8394)

## Related
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4393)
- [119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10421)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8394 (as of 2026-09-21).