The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday announced that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is issuing its first federal registrations to qualifying state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. The department said the initial group includes more than 900 dispensaries in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
The registrations are the first phase of carrying out an April 23 order by the Attorney General. According to the Justice Department, the order set up a federal regulatory framework for qualifying medical marijuana businesses and applied Schedule III controls to certain medical marijuana activities, while maintaining federal controls under the Controlled Substances Act.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the regulated distribution of medical marijuana by registered applicants “will help ensure broader access to chronic pain treatment and the safety of the American people.” He also said the Justice Department will continue prosecuting illegal marijuana trafficking and related criminal activity under federal law.
The DEA is starting with dispensaries that applied within the first 60 days set by the order and meet federal requirements. Applicants must operate under a state medical marijuana system that is consistent with federal law and with the United States’ international treaty obligations. Each dispensary also had to complete the DEA’s pre-registration investigation.
The department said state licensure alone does not automatically grant federal registration. Registered dispensaries must follow federal requirements on security, recordkeeping, inventory controls and other safeguards for handling controlled substances.
The DEA will keep processing dispensary applications and issuing registrations in phases, the department said. It is also reviewing applications from medical marijuana manufacturers and distributors, which supply dispensaries. Those applications need more review, including facility inspections, production controls and quota determinations.
Under the order, qualifying manufacturers, distributors and dispensaries that applied within the first 60 days and still have applications pending may continue medical marijuana transactions. They may deal with other qualified applicants and with newly registered entities, subject to the order’s requirements.
The department said the order covers only defined medical marijuana activities. It does not authorize recreational marijuana or other activities outside its scope, and marijuana not covered by the order stays under Schedule I controls. A broader proposal to reschedule marijuana is being considered in a separate administrative proceeding under the Controlled Substances Act.