The Drug Enforcement Administration announced this week that it was now accepting comments on a Virginia-based biotechnology company\u2019s application to import \u201cmarihuana extract\u201d and \u201ctetrahydrocannabinol.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a small notice published in the government\u2019s daily Federal Register report, the DEA stated that Sanyal Biotechnology<\/a> was looking to import cannabis extracts and THC to use in the organization\u2019s research<\/a> on liver diseases.<\/p>\n According to the DEA\u2019s Diversion Control Division, Sanyal Biotechnology is the second company this year<\/a> to request to import the two cannabis-based substances. The other company, Noramco<\/a>, also requested permission to import whole plant marijuana.<\/p>\n We reached out to the DEA to find out more about the process of getting approved to import a federally controlled substance.<\/p>\n \u201cBasically what they\u2019ve done is ask to be a registered importer,\u201d Special Agent Melvin S. Patterson of the Department of Justice\u2019s Congressional and Public Affairs Office told Cannabis Now.<\/p>\n We asked Patterson how someone could import marijuana for research since the marijuana used in U.S.-backed studies must be provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse\u2019s University of Mississippi pot farm.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if that\u2019s solely for marijuana extracts though, and this is for extracts, this is solely for extract to be studied,\u201d said Patterson. \u201cSo NIDA is the sole provider of marijuana, and any hemp products, anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Patterson also noted that companies have actually been approved for a license similar to the one Sanyal Biotech was requesting, but couldn\u2019t put a number on the exact amount who have been approved.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n He said that about two years ago, the DEA separated THC from other marijuana extracts in the drug code to simplify figuring out how many people were doing research on what aspect of marijuana, as in whole plant or extract.<\/p>\n Sanyal Biotechnology\u2019s CEO Dr. Rebecca Caffrey told Cannabis Now that the company is applying for a DEA license so they can run a study for a Toronto-based company called Revive Therapeutics.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are testing out pure CBD as a treatment for liver diseases like NASH and autoimmune hepatitis,\u201d Caffrey said. \u201cThe CBD they are using is pharmaceutical grade with no contamination THC in it. But the DEA still considers it Schedule I. So we have to have a license to use it in our lab and to import it into the U.S. from Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n Caffrey added that Sanyal started the application four months ago, and are expecting it will delay their project a total of six months.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a pain,\u201d Caffrey said. \u201cMy customer wants to pay me to run a study with harmless CBD that is equivalent to extraction from hemp, no THC. And I can\u2019t obtain or handle it so I just have to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n We asked Caffrey why she didn\u2019t have to buy her marijuana from the NIDA farm to do research, and she explained that it\u2019s because Sanyal isn\u2019t conducting research on humans.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do preclinical research in special mice that develop diabetes and liver disease when they are on the \u2018SuperSize Me\u2019 diet. So we have to go through all this mess just to do lab research,\u201d she replied. \u201cThe company that has hired us to run the study is providing the CBD oil. They have it, but can\u2019t ship it. We are just sitting on our hands, losing money.\u201d<\/p>\n Caffrey says in the next phase of the application, the DEA will inspect their facility and look at personnel and security. After the DEA inspection, if Sanyal passes, they get the license. Then, they will have to apply to the VA Board of Pharmacy with that license number and get approval. Then, finally, they can run the study. \u201cIt\u2019s a never-ending bureaucratic mess,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are researchers. We want to do the study and get results for our customer,\u201d Caffrey said. \u201cInstead we have mountains of regulatory paperwork and lengthy delays. If the government doesn\u2019t speed up and streamline the process, we will lose business to companies in other countries, like Canada. CBD oil shouldn\u2019t be Schedule I anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n The application process won\u2019t advance, however, until the comment period on the application closes \u2014 which the DEA set for the auspicious date of April 20. \u201cMaybe someone at the DEA has a good sense of humor or maybe it\u2019s just coincidence,\u201d said Caffrey. \u201cPretty funny though.\u201d<\/p>\n TELL US,<\/strong> did you know the DEA licensed companies to import marijuana?<\/p>\n The post DEA May Issue More Cannabis Importing Licenses<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The Drug Enforcement Administration announced this week that it was now accepting comments on a Virginia-based biotechnology company\u2019s application to import \u201cmarihuana extract\u201d and \u201ctetrahydrocannabinol.\u201d In a small notice published in the government\u2019s daily Federal Register report, the DEA stated that Sanyal Biotechnology was looking to import cannabis extracts andContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,1589,848,3515,1203,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24669"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24669"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24670,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24669\/revisions\/24670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: DEA May Issue More Cannabis Importing Licenses<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"