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The bill moving through the state Senate comes four years after the Legislature told the agency it can use some of the money it gets from medical marijuana patients to provide $5 million competitive grants every year for five years to find out how the drug can be used.

Only thing is, the health department has given out just $5 million since that time. That has left supporters of medical marijuana frustrated.

This past week they convinced the Senate Health and Human Services Committee to propose changing one word in the law: Where it has said the health department “may’’ give out grants, Senate Bill 1230 changes that to “shall.’’

But a question remains whether there will be enough money in the fund to cover the entire $25 million mandate. At least part of the financial problem is that ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ now permits any adult to use marijuana for any reason at all.

The issue goes back to 2010 when ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ voters narrowly agreed to allow those with certain medical conditions and a doctor’s recommendation to obtain and use the drug. It also set up a system of legal dispensaries where those eligible could obtain it.

Backers argued there is at least anecdotal evidence the drug can be effective in treating everything ranging from HIV and hepatitis C to helping provide relief from chronic pain and from nausea caused by chemotherapy.

But A.J. Jacobs, representing ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ NORML — the local branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws — told lawmakers the problem has been a lack of good scientific research.

Consider, he said, people dealing with PTSD, or enduring pain from cancer, or parents using cannabis to help control a child’s seizure.

“Right now these ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ns are forced to rely on anecdotal evidence and trial-and-error dosage because we don’t have state-funded, clinically validated research,’’ he said.

“If we’re going to have a medical marijuana program, shouldn’t we actually study the medicine?� Jacobs asked. “Shouldn’t we invest in understanding its risks and benefits, its interactions with other drugs, its most effective dosages and best-delivered methods?’’

He pointed out the state collects money from fees collected from dispensaries as well as the money that medical marijuana users must pay to get the required state-issued card to purchase the drug.

“Patients pay into the system with the expectation that the money will be used to improve medical marijuana access, safety and research,’’ Jacobs said. Leaving the word “may’’ in the law “keeps research funding on shaky grounds, subject to politics, shifting priorities and budgetary whims,� he said.

Carly Fleege, lobbyist for the health department, acknowledged that her agency has about $20 million in the marijuana fund.

But she said it’s a very real risk that the commitment lawmakers want — $5 million a year for five years — is a fiscal impossibility. Put simply, she said, revenues are not expected to keep pace.

Part of the reason is previous decisions made by lawmakers, she said.

In 2019, for example, lawmakers said the state-issued cards that allow people to purchase medical marijuana, which cost $150, are now good for two years, effectively reducing the fees by half.

And the state offers 50% off of that for those whose income qualifies them for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as food stamps.

But the biggest shift, said Fleege, came in 2020 when voters decided any adult should be allowed to purchase marijuana for recreational use, or any use at all.

Approved by a 3-2 margin, that law allows individuals to possess up to an ounce of the drug and cultivate up to six plants at home. More to the point, there’s no need to visit a doctor for a recommendation and no fee to be paid to the state.

The shift was significant, Fleege said.

In 2017 the state had about 173,000 medical marijuana users. As of last year that dropped to 63,000 as many medical marijuana users simply decided not to renew their state licenses.

Still, there are reasons some individuals choose to go the medical card route.

One is cost: Medical marijuana is not subject to the 16% state excise tax. Plus those with a medical marijuana card can obtain up to 2.5 ounces in any 14-day period. They can have up to 12 plants.

Sen. Kevin Payne, R-Peoria, the sponsor of SB 1230, told Capitol Media Services there may have to be a compromise.

One option, he said, would be a kind of stop-loss: If and when the marijuana account goes below a certain point, the grant dollars wouldn’t go out that year and would be renewed only when the funds were replenished. That figure is still being negotiated, Payne said.

This isn’t Payne’s first effort to ensure there are funds to research the effects of what could be considered alternative medicine.

He was the architect of putting $5 million into the state budget in 2023 to require the health department to study whether the drugs in psilocybin mushrooms can help those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. But the studies, which Payne said are now starting, also are designed to find out whether the mushrooms and the various other substances in them also can be effective in helping those with everything from eating disorders and substance abuse to depression and symptoms associated with long COVID.