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News, Research

DEA Calls for Increases in Research-Grade Cannabis and Psychedelic Production

October 20, 2021 03:00 pm ET Estimated Read Time: 2 Minutes

In response to a significant increase in research on Schedule I controlled substances, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed dramatically raised levels of legal cannabis and psychedelic production in 2022 for use in studies.

After already increasing production quotas for 2021, the DEA is calling for a 60% increase in marijuana production. This will bring overall marijuana production from 2 million grams to 3.2 million grams, according to reporting by Marijuana Moment.

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The agency is also working rapidly to approve applications for cultivating and manufacturing Schedule I substances in order to meet these new quotas. There is a particular emphasis on processing marijuana manufacturer applications, as the licensed production of research-grade cannabis is currently limited to the University of Mississippi.

“DEA supports regulated research with Schedule I controlled substances, as evidenced by increases proposed for 2022 as compared with aggregate production quotas for these substances in 2021,” the agency stated.

Alongside cannabis, the DEA is looking to produce more LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA. The agency has proposed a 6,300% boost in MDMA production and a 1,150% boost in LSD production. The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Nora Volkow, previously expressed that she felt encouraged by the DEA’s initiatives to increase substance production quotas.

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