DEA to allow cultivation of 3.2 million grams of cannabis in 2020

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) plans to authorize the cultivation of 3,200,000 grams of cannabis for research in 2020, an increase of 30% of the 2019 quota.

The DEA had initially proposed production estimates for 2020 in a notice published in September in the Federal Register. This latest announcement puts the finishing touches to these figures, after taking into account comments received during a public consultation period, which brought together hundreds of submissions from healthcare professionals, state and federal government representatives and the general public.

The DEA stated that the quotas reflected the «estimated medical, scientific, research and industrial needs of the United States, in terms of legal export requirements, as well as the establishment and maintenance of reserve stocks». Demand for cannabis for research purposes has grown rapidly as more and more states have decided to legalize medical cannabis.

In its initial notice, the DEA reported that the number of people registered with the agency to conduct research on cannabis, its extracts and derivatives, and THC «increased by more than 40%, from 384 in January 2017 to 542 in January 2019.»

However, while the cannabis production quota and the number of registered researchers have steadily increased, there is still only one federally authorized cannabis cultivation, at the University of Mississippi. Despite numerous requests from companies wishing to cultivate for the federal state, the DEA has never followed up, raising suspicions of orchestrated unwillingness.

A complaint was filed, but dismissed by the Federal Court, which found that the DEA took appropriate measures to produce the quantities it deemed necessary.

The other problem identified by researchers and legislators is that current federal cannabis production does not reflect the products available on the commercial market. It often contains much lower THC concentrations, with other cannabinoids also under-represented, raising questions about the validity of studies based on government-supplied cannabis.

A study has revealed that cannabis manufactured by the federal government is chemically closer to hemp than the cannabis available on the various markets.

The final production quota of 3200 kilos doesn't specify the types of cannabis that should be grown, and the University of Mississippi's facility manager said earlier this year that he didn't understand why people would want cannabis containing more than 8% THC, even though commercially available products exceed that percentage.