Marijuana Policy Project

IOWA CITY — A study by a University of Iowa professor on the effects of marijuana use has gotten the attention of state lawmakers.

An amendment to an education budget bill in the Legislature would require the state's public universities to tell lawmakers about research involving illegal activities.

The study by Robert Block is funded federally by the National Institutes of Health.

Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield, said the point is not to stop such research but to keep lawmakers informed when research involves or studies illegal activity.

"We pay you money to study your illegal actions — what kind of situation is that?" Baudler said. "Shouldn't we know what our tax dollars are being spent on?"

The Iowa Board of Regents and the university are looking at the amendment to see what it would mean for research at Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa.

"We're not sure that language is necessary," said Andy Baumert, the regents' interim executive director. "We're still looking at it ourselves to see what it really means."

The amended education bill passed the Iowa House but remains under discussion in the Senate.

Block, a psychologist in the department of anesthesia, declined comment on the amendment, but said he's been studying chronic marijuana use for 28 years — 20 of them at Iowa.

He said his current research looks at the effects of past chronic marijuana use on brain function.

Steve Parrott, a University of Iowa spokesman, said Block's research is approved by a local review board, the National Institutes for Health, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Iowa Board of Pharmaceutical Examiners.

"There's a reason for him to study this — so we really know what the harmful effects are and report those honestly to people," Parrott said.