U.S. Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) have long been two of Congress’s most dedicated proponents of the war on drugs. They have opposed marijuana reform at nearly every opportunity and have harshly criticized the Obama administration for giving states room to implement legalization laws without federal interference.

But now the two anti-marijuana lawmakers are teaming up to press the federal government to make it easier for scientists to conduct research studies on the medical benefits of cannabis.

In separate letters sent to the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday, Grassley and Feinstein request that the two departments work together to “determine ways to remove any unnecessary barriers that stand in the way of research into the potential medical benefits of marijuana.”

Medical cannabis advocates welcomed the support for research from the longtime drug warriors. Mike Liszewski, director of government affairs for Americans for Safe Access, told Marijuana.com that the...