Gone are the appalling cannabis cultivated by the US government. The American anti-drug agency has just authorized two private companies to cultivate the plant, in order to provide it to scientists for their research. Groff North America Hemplex and Biopharmaceutical Research Company (BRC) have both started harvesting.
In the United States, scientists cannot study just any cannabis flower: it must be provided to them by the government, via the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This agency goes through a public institute to cultivate cannabis. Problem: We have hardly ever seen cannabis of such poor quality.
The DEA is therefore putting an end to 50 years of public monopoly on cannabis research. In recent years, many scientists have been calling for it. “These advances are there thanks to all the noise that the world of cannabis has made for several decades”, greet George Hodgin, BRC boss, joined by Marijuana Moment. His company just completed its very first harvest in November. It is currently in the control phase. If all goes well, the harvest can be sold to the DEA, who will then distribute it to researchers.
“The goal of this first harvest is to prove to the DEA that it is quite feasible. We want to become one of their suppliers, once the cruising speed is found ”, hopes the boss of a company commissioned by Groff to cultivate cannabis.
The United States wants to catch up with Israel’s lead
The DEA also allows an increase in production quotas. In 2022, it will grow up to 3.2 tonnes of cannabis. This is almost twice as much as in 2021, when it set the limit at 2 tonnes.
When the photo of “government” cannabis leaked in 2017, it caused a lot of laughter – Newsweed understood. But it was a yellow laugh, since this same “cannabis” ends up on the researchers’ desks so that they can find new treatments. Sue Sisley, one of the scientists, is studying the role of cannabis for war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Handsome player, the public institute that grew this semblance of cannabis called “Positive” this openness to private companies. This will allow researchers to work in better conditions. And, in fine, this should give a boost to American cannabis research. In recent years, Israel has taken a big step forward in this area.
