“The published articles showcase a wide range of research on the intersection of cannabis policy, regulation and science, and highlight gaps for future research.”
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission announced that Elsevier has “published the first of a two-part 2026 specialty issue of Clinical Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed medical journal guest edited by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) Research Department, focused on the intersection of cannabis research and regulation.” According to a media release:
In addition to co-editing this edition, the Commission’s Chief of Research, Dr. Julie Johnson, and Research Analysts Alex Colby and Graelyn Humiston, co-authored the editorial introduction titled, “Cannabis Research, Policy, and Therapeutics—An International Quasi-Experiment in Cannabis Policy— Part 1 (2026).”
The specialty Clinical Therapeutics issue, which follows the first-ever cannabis issue published in 2023, aims to highlight recent policy changes and research gaps needed to facilitate evidence-based policy in legalized jurisdictions across the globe.
The Commission, in collaboration with Elsevier, the publisher of the journal, first issued a call for papers in January 2025, and accepted submissions until September 2025. Clinical Therapeutics provides peer-reviewed, rapid publication of recent developments in drug and other therapies as well as in pharmacoeconomics, health policy, treatment outcomes, and innovations in drug and biologics research.
“This issue of Clinical Therapeutics comes at a critical time as historic efforts regarding cannabis are being made at the federal level, including a full review and recommended reschedule of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act in 2023, and the recent 2025 Executive Order initiating a potential rescheduling of cannabis from Schedule I to III,” Johnson said in a statement. “The published articles showcase a wide range of research on the intersection of cannabis policy, regulation and science, and highlight gaps for future research.”
More from the CCC here.
