MJBizMag July 2022 - 8

FROM THE EDITOR Kate Lavin
The Future is Now
Federal agencies show some promising signs of marijuana acceptance
M
ost cannabis professionals
know that, for decades,
the University of
Mississippi was the only institution
authorized by the federal
government to cultivate marijuana
for U.S. research studies. The
university's School of Pharmacy
continues to oversee its cannabis
research program through a
contract with the National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Given the NIDA's inherently antidrug
stance, it's no surprise that
most federally sanctioned studies
using Ole Miss cannabis have
revolved around substance abuse,
underage use of marijuana and
impaired driving.
Slowly but Surely
Since 2016, when the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration began
deciding which organizations
could grow cannabis for research,
the agency has made slow but
significant progress.
In the past three years, the DEA
has awarded six registrations for
bulk-marijuana manufacturing,
allowing scientists more choice in the
raw materials they use for research.
And in 2021, the agency awarded its
first cannabis research license.
Additionally, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration took the
surprising step of appointing a
state-licensed marijuana cultivator
to grow and manufacture cannabis
tablets for an FDA-approved
university study.
Government Partnerships
These steps by the DEA, which
still works daily to prosecute
8 July 2022 | MJBizMagazine
Let's hope these developments
Could it be that
federal marijuana
legalization is ringing
and the call is coming
from inside the
house?
those in the illicit marijuana space,
and the FDA-a notorious foe of
CBD producers everywhere-have
confounded some in the cannabis
industry.
Yet, according to several sources
in our cover package, which starts
on page 34, their relationships
with agents from these
departments are at least civil if
not downright helpful.
For decades, politicians have
told us that they are our best
hope for the federal legalization
of marijuana. The U.S. Supreme
Court has refused to hear such
cases, even as states rebuffed
decades of prohibition and began
licensing marijuana cultivation,
manufacturing and retail while
pocketing hefty profits.
But with individual agencies
taking the initiative to not only
regulate cannabis production for
research but, in some cases, also
approve cannabis-based therapeutic
studies, it appears real change
might be coming, albeit slowly.
Could it be that federal marijuana
legalization is ringing and the call is
coming from inside the house?
are auspicious signs of more
promising days to come.
For the Science Crowd
If cannabis science, research
and pharmaceuticals are your
jam, check out MJBiz Science,
MJBizDaily's newsletter for the
scientific cannabis community.
Chemist Susan Audino, an
instructor for the American
Association for Laboratory
Accreditation, reviews the latest
cannabis studies, newsworthy
scientific developments and
tech funding each month. Sign
up for this and other MJBiz
newsletters at mjbizdaily.com/
email-newsletter-signup.
What's the only thing better than
a cannabis science newsletter sent
directly to your inbox? How about
a trip to San Diego in February? The
Emerald Conference is a two-day
symposium featuring cuttingedge
research and information
about testing, formulating and
clinical trials. Sessions are curated
by The Emerald Conference
Scientific Committee, with dozens
more poster presentations.
Visit theemeraldconference.
com for details about how to
attend or submit an abstract for
consideration.
Kate Lavin is the editor
of MJBizMagazine. Reach
her at kate.lavin@
mjbizdaily.com.
http://www.mjbizdaily.com/
MJBizMag July 2022

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