In a decision to increase the variety of cannabis available for scientific and medical research in the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced on Monday that it would be moving forward to register additional qualified growers.
According to a DEA press release, the number of individuals registered by the Administration to conduct research on cannabis and its extracts and derivatives grew more than 40 percent over the last two years from 384 in January 2017 to 542 in January 2019.
DEA also says that it has more than doubled production quotas for growers for the past two years due to increased usage projections for federally-approved research projects.
“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.”
The Administration also stated that after the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill, forms of cannabis with less than .3 percent less of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) were removed from the federal list of controlled substances and no longer required DEA registration to grow or research.
Before DEA makes a decision on the pending applications, the Administration plans on proposing new regulations for those who wish to grow for scientific or research purposes.
The Administration says that regulations will guarantee that they can review each application under the appropriate legal standards and conform the program to relevant laws.
“I am pleased that DEA is moving forward with its review of applications for those who seek to grow marijuana legally to support research,” said Attorney General William 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.”
To ensure transparency and public participation, DEA says that the process will give applicants and the general public the chance to provide input on regulations that should govern the research program.
