PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Motion by Senator Schumer to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 326 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 97) entered in Senate.
Congressional Research Service
Version 25 · Reported to Senate · Mar 23, 2023
VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2023
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study the effects of cannabis on veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system and have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or chronic pain (i.e., eligible veterans).
First, the bill requires the VA to conduct an observational, 18-month study on the effects of cannabis on the health outcomes of eligible veterans. The VA must report on the study and address whether it is able to meet criteria necessary to conduct clinical trials.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Then, if the VA determines that it is able to proceed, it must carry out a series of clinical trials on the effects of cannabis appropriate for investigational use, as determined by the Food and Drug Administration, on the outcomes of eligible veterans. The VA must carry out a long-term observational study of the clinical trial participants.
The VA may terminate the trials if it is unable to meet clinical guideline requirements or the trials would create excessive risk to participants.
The VA must ensure that the study and trials are representative of the demographics of veterans in the United States, as determined by the most recent data from the American Community Survey of the Bureau of the Census.
The study and trials must include mechanisms to ensure data preservation and registration as necessary (in an anonymous form).
People & committees
Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · D–MT
Legislative record
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Motion by Senator Schumer to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 326 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 97) entered in Senate.
Cloture on the motion to proceed to the measure not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 57 - 42. Record Vote Number: 97.
Senate roll call 97 · Individual votesCloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure presented in Senate. (CR S1286)
Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 32.
Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Reported by Senator Tester without amendment. Without written report.
Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Reported by Senator Tester without amendment. Without written report.
Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Oct 14, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze S.326 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine S.326 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine S.326 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine S.326 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.