Officials at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) say the federal agency's recent decision to halt its longstanding orders of research marijuana supplied by the University of Mississippi is the result of a cost-cutting directive from the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
But the move, NIDA said, isn't expected to interrupt the availability of cannabis for government-approved research.
A recent executive order—titled "Implementing the President's 'Department of Government Efficiency' Cost Efficiency Initiative"—led to the Department of Health and Human Services conducting "a comprehensive review of all existing contracts to identify opportunities for cost reduction," NIDA representatives said in an email to Marijuana Moment.
"As a result of this initiative, no new task orders for cannabis cultivation have been issued," the email explains. "That said, the NIDA Drug Supply Program maintains an existing inventory of cannabis and cannabis-derived products, which remain available for approved research."
Read more at Marijuana Moment
