DEA plans to reduce 2018 quota of marijuana grown for research

By Alicia Wallace, The Cannabist Staff

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration intends to decrease the amount of marijuana it allocates for federally approved research.

The DEA has released its proposed 2018 aggregate production quotas (APQ) for substances that fall under the tightest restrictions as Schedule I and II in the federal drug classification; the APQs are set to meet the estimated needs for research and industrial purposes.

The APQ proposal calls for a reduction of most substances, notably Schedule II opioid painkillers such as oxycodone, morphine, codeine and hydrocodone, DEA officials said. The proposed quotas also were lowered for “marihuana” and tetrahydrocannabinols according to the notice published Friday in the Federal Register. The DEA is in a 30-day comment period for the proposed adjustments.

The proposed production quotas for marijuana are 443,680 grams (about 978 pounds), down from 472,000 grams (about 1,040 pounds) in 2017, according to the notice. The quotas for THC were reduced to…