The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is proposing a dramatic increase in the legal production of marijuana and psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, MDMA and DMT to be used in research next year.<\/p>\n
In a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Monday, the agency said there\u2019s been a \u201csignificant increase in the use of schedule I hallucinogenic controlled substances for research and clinical trial purposes,\u201d and it wants authorized manufacturers to meet that growing demand.<\/p>\n
DEA had already massively upped its proposed 2021 quota for cannabis and psilocybin<\/a> last month, but now it\u2019s calling for significantly larger quantities of research-grade marijuana and a broader array of psychedelics to be manufactured in 2022.<\/p>\n It wants to double the amount of marijuana extracts, psilocybin and psilocyn, quadruple mescaline and quintuple DMT. What especially stands out in the notice is MDMA. The agency is proposing an enormous 6,300 percent boost in the production of that drug\u2014from just 50 grams in 2021 to 3,200 grams in the coming year\u2014as research into its therapeutic potential continues to expand.<\/p>\n LSD would see a 1,150 percent increase, up to 500 grams of the potent psychedelic.<\/p>\n Marijuana itself would get a 60 percent boost under DEA\u2019s proposal, up to 3.2 million grams in 2022 from the 2 million grams last year.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a visualization of the proposed quota increase from 2021 to 2022 for marijuana and cannabis extracts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n For all other THC, psilocybin, psilocyn and MDMA:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n And for other psychedelic substances like LSD, mescaline and DMT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n DEA said in the Federal Register notice<\/a> that it has been receiving and approving additional applications to \u201cgrow, synthesize, extract, and manufacture dosage forms containing specific schedule I hallucinogenic substances for clinical trial purposes\u201d to achieve these ambitious quotas.<\/p>\n \u201cDEA supports regulated research with schedule I controlled substances, as evidenced by increases proposed for 2022 as compared with aggregate production quotas for these substances in 2021,\u201d the agency said, adding that it working \u201cdiligently\u201d to process and approve marijuana manufacturers applications<\/a> in particular, as there\u2019s currently only one farm at the University of Mississippi that\u2019s permitted to cultivate the plant for research.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on the increase in research and clinical trial applications, DEA has proposed increases in 3,4- Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, Dimethyltryptamine, Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), Marihuana, Marihuana Extract, Mescaline, Psilocybin, Psilocyn, and All Other Tetrahydrocannabinols to support manufacturing activities related to the increased level of research and clinical trials with these schedule I controlled substances.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are the exact numbers for the proposed 2021 and 2022 quotas:<\/strong><\/p>\n