MMJ BioPharma Cultivation Inc. and two sister companies filed a motion alleging the DEA has been sitting far too long on their applications to manufacture and to import cannabis for research. The companies are seeking an injunction to force the DEA to make a final decision regarding their applications that completed public comment periods in December 2019 and November 2020. According to the companies, the 2015 amendment to the Controlled Substance Act set a ninety-day period after the public comment portion for the DEA to make a final determination on any such application. This motion is in addition to a lawsuit filed last month by the companies essentially accusing the DEA of the same intentional delay.
The companies are seeking approval of their application to study the effects of cannabis on chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Huntington’s disease. The companies allege that the DEA’S delay in deciding on their application not only hinders the progress of science but also the lives of the people with these chronic conditions. Until recently, researchers could obtain marijuana for studies only from the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products Research.