Politics
Feds Would Create Marijuana-Focused Scholarship Program For Students Under New Bill In Congress
Two Democratic members of Congress have filed a new bill aimed at supporting marijuana-focused research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).
The Establishing and Developing University Cannabis Agriculture Techniques and Excellence (EDUCATE) Act of 2026, filed last week by Reps. Troy Carter (D-LA) and Dina Titus (D-NV), would award grants to fund cannabis research while also creating a new scholarship program to support students who are pursuing careers in marijuana or hemp.
Under the legislation, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would award grants on a competitive basis to support research on the cultivation and processing of marijuana, including studies focusing on:
- The optimization of cultivation and harvesting practices for marijuana crops.
- The examination of soil health, water conservation, pest management, and sustainability impacts of marijuana agriculture.
- The evaluation of economic development opportunities for minority and disadvantaged farmers in emerging marijuana markets.
- Workforce development, training, and extension activities related to marijuana agriculture.
The bill would authorize the allocation of $5 million a year to fund such research grants from fiscal years 2026 through 2030, with at least 25 percent earmarked for HSIs, and there would be a requirement to give priority to institutions that have partnerships with minority and small-scale farmers or community-based agricultural organizations.
The EDUCATE Act also seeks to create a new Marijuana Agriculture Studies Scholarship Program that would award grants of up to $10,000 per year to undergraduate or graduate students at HBCUs and HSIs who are studying food and agricultural sciences and are intending to pursue “a career in marijuana or hemp agriculture, marijuana cultivation, plant science, agricultural technology, agricultural science, or agricultural policy.”
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The legislation authorizes USDA to spend up to $100,000 on the scholarships per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
The department would need to submit annual reports to Congress on the grants awarded, the studies they funded and participation in the scholarship program.
The bill also contains provisions to clarify that institutions of higher education and individuals awarded funding under the new program could not be denied federal benefits or subject to prosecution or civil penalties due to marijuana-related activities in accordance with the legislation.
“The legal, responsible use of cannabis has been a major economic driver in Nevada and across the country and deserves further research,” Titus said. “The EDUCATE Act would enable students to explore and study jobs in the cultivation, research, business, and policy sectors of the legal marijuana market by providing federal funding to institutions of higher education.”
Read the full text of the new marijuana research and scholarship bill below:
