Uncle Sam just ordered up a tonne of reefer, quite literally. The Drug Enforcement Administration has increased the American government’s production of marijuana from only 21KG per year to 650KG, a pretty massive scale up.
The production of marijuana for official government use is overseen by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the pot itself is grown at the University of Mississippi. For now, the University of Mississippi is the only official Federal government sanctioned place to grow pot.
Pot research growing
The NIDA has conducted some 30 or so different studies, examining the potential benefits and risks of pot consumption. The most recent study was to examine prescribing pot to veterans suffering from PTSD. 50 veterans will receive two joints worth of pot per day.
With the increased state level legalization of marijuana, the Federal government appears to be taking more and more interest in studying the affects of pot. In 2003, the Federal government awarded 22 grants for a total of $6 million dollars. As of 2012 some 69 different grants were awarded for $30 million dollars.
Exactly what is being researched remains unclear, but the Federal government appears to be trying to build up its knowledge base as more and more states legalize pot. Meanwhile, more and more Americans are in favor of legalization.
Global tide rising for Marijuana legalization
Already, 21 different states have legalized marijuana for medical use. Two states, Colorado and Washington have legalized it for recreational use, which actually contradicts Federal law. Even in states where pot is officially only for medical use, getting a prescription can be extremely easy. So far, the Federal government has mostly left the legalization of pot to states.
Meanwhile, Uruguay just fully legalized the use of marijuana. While several countries have decriminalized pot and in some marijuana is essentially legal. Still, no country has gone as far as Uruguay in setting up an entire pot economy.
In Uruguay, the cultivation, distribution, and sale of marijuana will be highly regulated, at least on paper. Pot will only be sold to adults in small amounts and will retail for about 1 dollar a gram. The government will not allow exports.
Low priced government strains won’t exceed 15 percent THC (the chemical that gets you high) and will be limited to five different strains. 15 percent is extremely high, with low in street pot in the US often having 5 percent less THC content.
