More than four years have passed since the US Drug Enforcement Administration first announced that it would allow for more than just one entity to cultivate cannabis for research, with federal approval. For decades, only one location has had this permission, and has supplied researchers across the country: the University of Mississippi.
While the DEA has yet to issue these additional licenses, the number of applications submitted has continued to climb. As Cannabis Wire reported, nearly fifty applications had come in by January, the same month that the DEA’s final regulations for these licenses took effect. Now, Cannabis Wire has identified another eight applications that rolled in throughout February and up to March 1. (A note: applications are submitted at an earlier date than they are posted, therefore these dates are indicative of when they were posted.)
Some major companies have already applied, though, since applications started coming in years ago, it’s not clear whether any entities have reconsidered. As Cannabis Wire previously reported, those entities include major government-contractor Battelle and cannabis giant Canopy Growth.
The DEA has not yet declared how many licenses will be issued, though it has suggested that state-legal cannabis operators are at a disadvantage because they are in violation of federal law. Nonetheless, several such operators have applied.
Here are the eight latest applicants:
(Several of these LLCs, each marked by an asterisk, can be traced back to John Kaweske, the CEO of North Star Holdings, which has cannabis businesses in Colorado.)
