Attorney General William Barr recently received two letters from senators that stress the importance of expanding the number of federally authorized growers of marijuana for research purposes.
Adding such facilities would not represent a violation of international treaties, one of the letters argued, while the other focuses more broadly on delays in processing applications for additional cultivators.
A letter signed by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Christopher Coons (D-DE) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), describes how the U.S. currently has just one facility that’s authorized to produce cannabis for federal research purposes and how the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) created a process to license additional manufacturers in 2016.
“Our nation’s need for meaningful federally sanctioned research is critical,” the senators wrote in the letter, which was delivered on Tuesday. “Research and medical communities should have access to research-grade materials to answer questions around marijuana’s efficacy and potential impacts, both positive and adverse. Finalizing the review of applications for marijuana manufacturing will assist in doing just that.”