The DEA Wants the Feds to Grow 1000 Pounds of Cannabis
While on the surface this headline looks like good news, this could actually be an indication that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is planning to keep cannabis a Schedule I substance during the upcoming year.
According to a recent report released by the DEA, they are currently asking the federal government to grow 1,400 pounds of cannabis in 2017, 51 less than the 1,451 they asked for this year.
“Putting cannabis in Schedule II or lower would likely lead to an increase in the number of scientists applying and being approved to study it,” Tom Angell, who serves as chairman of the Marijuana Majority, stated in an interview with Marijuana.com. “That DEA is anticipating a reduced need for marijuana research supplies next year could be a sign that the agency has decided against rescheduling.”
This speculation points to the idea that the DEA won’t be allowing cannabis to be rescheduled. However, this could all just be a false alarm, as there is also a possibility that these numbers are not yet finalized. The deadline for the DEA to turn in their production quota is not until August 22nd, so there is still time for them to turn this decision around and allow for more cannabis to be grown. The DEA raised their production quota by 533,000 more than originally asked for in 2015, so it is not unheard of for them to ask for more at the last minute.
Either way, the fact remains that until the DEA finally announces their decision to either reschedule or keep cannabis as a Schedule I substance, everyone will just be guessing about whether or not there will be any kind of legal change. Even if they don’t call for a rescheduling this year, a change will be needed soon to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for more cannabis research.
