The DEA is still far behind in approving additional research licenses

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The federal agency is going on three years and counting without substantial licensing approvals

It has been over three years since the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said that it would start accepting applications for new licenses for the productions of research-quality cannabis to conduct official studies. Over the course of those three years, the DEA has been seemingly ignoring all public demands of explanations regarding this long-delayed process that continues to get the runaround. Recently, the Multi-disciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), tired of waiting for a license approval, issued a public response to the DEA concerning the new rules the agency recently issued.

Plenty of institutions are still waiting for their applications to be accepted, or even reviewed. Organizations like MAPS, Professor Emeritus of Botany and Plant Sciences at the University of Massachusetts and Amherst’s Stockbridge School of Agriculture submitted applications as early as 2017 and haven’t heard anything yet. “MAPS welcomes the opportunity to provide these comments in response because the Proposed Rules are centrally important to our work and our continuing efforts to obtain DEA Registration for Professor Craker,” a representative said.

Earlier this year, the DEA – forced by court order – revealed that the reason behind the delay had to do with current international treaties that demanded new rules to be issued. Those new rules, considered <a href=”https://www.tokingtimes.com/dea-outed-for-intentionally-lying-to-prevent-cannabis-research-expansion/”>highly arbitrary</a> by many, were released in March, and it allows the DEA to take possession and oversee the distribution of all cannabis grown for research purposes.

“We strongly support and commend DEA for its Proposed Rules’ commitment to ending the NIDA monopoly system, and to grant additional DEA Registrations in order to facilitate and enhance privately funded commercial medicinal cannabis drug development. However, we also have significant concerns regarding whether DEA will follow through with effective and consistent implementation that actually enhances and facilitates the opportunities for commercial medicinal cannabis drug product development, including the whole-plant botanical drug development that MAPS has long sought to accomplish,” asserts MAPS.