
After three years of dragging its feet, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revealed this week that it is “moving forward to facilitate and expand scientific and medical research for marijuana in the United States.” To do this, the agency publicized it will be accepting and reviewing applications from marijuana growers who would like their products to be used for scientific and medical research.
This builds on public commitments to end the University of Mississippi’s 50-year monopoly as the country’s only approved grower. That monopoly has resulted in subpar cannabis for testing, and subsequently the United States falling years behind the scientific work of other countries in this regard, including China and Israel.
A Change Of the Guard
As attorney general, Jeff Sessions effectively blocked the DEA from pursuing at least 25 proposals related to growing marijuana for the purposes of medical and scientific research (reportedly 33 applications have been filed since 2016). In contrast, his successor Attorney General William P. Barr said on Monday, “I am pleased that DEA is moving forward with its review of applications for those who seek to grow marijuana legally to support research.”
He mentioned buy-in from other agencies: “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.”
Subsequently, Thursday morning, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar held a joint press conference addressing where the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stands on the future of medical and scientific research of marijuana in the United States. In an announcement hosted live on Facebook and Twitter, Adams spoke alongside Azar, mental health experts, and pediatric experts largely about the effects of marijuana use on developing brains in adolescents and pregnant mothers.
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