Despite the fact that federal law clearly requires adequate competition in the manufacture of Schedule I and II substances for research, since 1968 the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has maintained an unjustified monopoly on the production of marijuana. DEA helps to protect NIDA's monopoly by refusing to grant competitive licenses for marijuana production to support legitimate medical and research in the US.

The “Truth in Trials” Act enables individuals facing federal prosecution for marijuana-related offenses to provide evidence during trial that the activities they were engaged in were performed in compliance with their state’s duly-enacted medical marijuana laws. The “Truth in Trials” Act is not about the merits of medical cannabis. Instead, the bill concerns due process and procedural fairness issues for individuals facing federal prosecution.

On June 11, 2009, Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) and a small bi-partisan coalition of Members of Congress re-introduced HR 2835, The Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act. The legislation will help protect individuals who use or provide medical cannabis in accordance with their state law.

In response to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raids on medical cannabis patients and providers in California and other states that have approved the medical use of cannabis, Representatives Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), will once again introduce a bi-partisan amendment to the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill which seeks to put scarce federal law enforcement resources to better use.