DEA ISSUES NOTICE AFFIRMING INDUSTRIAL HEMP AS LEGAL AND EXPANDING MARIJUANA RESEARCH

Written by | Hemp and Cannabis Updates

On Monday, August 26, 2019, federal drug authorities, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), announced that it is moving forward to facilitate and expand scientific and medical research for marijuana in the United States.  According to the DEA’s notice, over the last two years, the total number of individuals registered by DEA to conduct research with marijuana, marijuana extracts, derivatives and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has increased by more than 40 percent from 384 in January 2017 to 542 in January 2019. Similarly, in the last two years, DEA has more than doubled the production quota for marijuana each year based on increased usage projections for federally approved research projects.

The notice also reminds law enforcement agencies that “certain forms of cannabis no longer require DEA registration to grow or manufacture” after the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill.  The notice reminds that “[t]he Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which was signed into law on Dec. 20, 2018, changed the definition of marijuana to exclude “hemp”—plant material that contains 0.3 percent or less delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis. Accordingly, hemp, including hemp plants and cannabidiol (CBD) preparations at or below the 0.3 percent delta-9 THC threshold, is not a controlled substance, and a DEA registration is not required to grow or research it.”

You can find the DEA’s published notice here.

Last modified: September 16, 2019