The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced on Friday that it will be taking significant steps to expand cannabis research.
The agency is proposing a rule change that would enable it to approve additional cannabis growers and diversify the types of cannabis available to be used in studies. The move comes more than three years after the agency initially said it was accepting applications for additional cannabis manufacturers.
DEA stressed throughout the new notice that it will have sole ownership over any cannabis that’s cultivated for research purposes. That includes any cannabis that’s stored at cultivation facilities. This appears to be a fundamental change in policy. As it stands, a single facility in Mississippi is authorized to grow cannabis through a contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and DEA does not maintain ownership over its products.
“The Drug Enforcement Administration continues to support additional research into cannabis and its components, and we believe registering more growers will advance the scientific and medical research already being conducted,” Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon said in a press release. “DEA is making progress to register additional cannabis growers for federally authorized research, and will continue to work with other relevant federal agencies to expedite the necessary next steps.”
Read more at marijuanamoment.net
