DEA Reverses Course; Opens Doors to Expand Medical Cannabis Research

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]ccording to a regulatory filing dated Aug. 26, and a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) indicated that it is “moving forward to facilitate and expand scientific and medical research for marijuana in the United States.”

“I am pleased that DEA is moving forward with its review of applications for those who seek to grow marijuana legally to support research,” stated Attorney General William P. Barr.  “The Department of Justice will continue to work with our colleagues at the Department of Health and Human Services and across the Administration to improve research opportunities wherever we can.” The DEA is an agency that falls under the Department of Justice. With former Attorney General Jeff Sessions out of the picture, who was famously opposed to cannabis, things can move forward.

The announcement arrived only two days before a court-ordered deadline. The deadline was a result of the efforts from Arizona-based researcher Dr. Sue Sisley, who sought to bring to an end three years of inaction by the DEA. Dr. Sisley headed the Scottsdale Research Institute in Arizona, and repeatedly asked the DEA to allow them to grow their own cannabis, because of the poor quality of research-grade cannabis.

The DEA has held a monopoly for nearly half a century on any cannabis that is legally grown for the purpose of clinical research. For decades, federally-approved medical cannabis research that involved actual plant matter was limited to a single farm at the University of Mississippi, and the quality was reportedly sub-par—being riddled with stems and unneeded leaf matter. The University of Mississippi’s program operated under a contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Now other research groups can obtain research-grade cannabis elsewhere, instead of being limited to the poor quality cannabis originating in Mississippi.

“DEA is making progress in the program to register additional marijuana growers for federally authorized research, and will work with other relevant federal agencies to expedite the necessary next steps,” said DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon.  “We support additional research into marijuana and its components, and we believe registering more growers will result in researchers having access to a wider variety for study.”