Researching Medical Marijuana May Soon Get Easier

By WILL STONE

Researchers hoping to study marijuana for scientific and medical purposes are one step closer to expanding their limited supply of the plant.

This week, the federal government announced it would begin processing dozens of pending applications for permission to cultivate the plant for scientific research.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s decision comes after several years of delay for some applicants and a lawsuit filed against the agency by one cannabis researcher.

“I am pleased that DEA is moving forward with its review of applications for those who seek to grow marijuana legally to support research,” said Attorney General William Barr in the statement on Monday.

Barr said the Department of Justice will continue to work to improve research opportunities wherever it can.

Even as many states have legalized marijuana for recreational and medical use, scientists who want to conduct rigorous studies of the plant still have only one place where they can get it: a facility at the University of Mississippi, which contracts with the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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Read more from the source: NPR.org