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The new policy comes as scientists have said they struggle to get the drug for research purposes.
Only the University of Mississippi in Oxford has been authorized to grow the drug for use in medical studies, according to the report. But now the Drug Enforcement Administration will allow other universities to apply to grow marijuana, three government officials told The New York Times.
This new policy could potentially bolster research regarding the medical use of marijuana for treating various conditions, including Parkinson’s, Crohn’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome, Alzheimer’s, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, the report notes.
“It will create a supply of research-grade marijuana that is diverse, but more importantly, it will be competitive and you will have growers motivated to meet the demand of researchers,” John Hudak, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told The New York Times.
The new policy will be published as soon as Thursday in the federal register, three officials, who have seen the policy but spoke on condition of anonymity, told The New York Times.
Any educational institution that has an approved research protocol and the security measures needed to store dangerous drugs can apply to grow marijuana.
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