The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) proposed a massive increase in cannabis and psilocybin mushroom production for continued research purposes on Thursday September 2. In this case the goal is to aid the development of newly approved therapeutic medications.
“DEA firmly believes in supporting regulated research of schedule I controlled substances,” the DEA reported. “Therefore, the [Aggregate Production Quota] increases reflect the need to fulfill research and development requirements in the production of new drug products, and the study of marijuana effects in particular, as necessary steps toward potential Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of new drug products.”
In the past, the DEA has requested increases in production. However, this language shows a changing attitude from the federal agency. In general the DEA appears to have a more progressive attitude toward the therapeutic potential of both cannabis and psychedelics. More states and cities are legalizing cannabis and psychedelics for continued reform, and the DEA is reflecting the same attitude.
Production Requests
In this case, the original request from the DEA asked for 1.5 million grams of cannabis, which equates to aroungly 3,300 pounds of cannabis. The request has now increased to 2 million grams. A total of 4,400 pounds of cannabis is requested for 2021. This is a 500,000 gram increase. Additionally, the DEA is proposing the manufacture of 500,000 grams of cannabis extract, more than double the original request.
For psilocybin mushrooms, the DEA originally asked for 50 grams. That request increased to 1,500 grams, or 3.3 pounds. This is almost a 3,000 percent increase from their initial request. An additional 1000 grams of psilocin has been requested over the initial 50 grams requested. The increase is exponential which was an original concern. Researchers voiced concern over the amount of cannabis and psilocybin requested. Thankfully, the DEA approved additional research growers to meet their increased demand.
Next Steps
Therefore, activists and researchers are excited about the changes coming to the DEA. Having a federal agency support research of a Schedule I drug encourages the idea of rescheduling cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms in the future. However, activists remain frustrated that both cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms are on the Schedule I list anyways despite research showing potential medical value. A federal judge did say the DEA may soon have to consider a policy change because of a potential misinterpretation of the therapeutic value of cannabis. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.
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