DEA issues first federal registrations to over 900 medical marijuana dispensaries

Analysis produced by Imogen Vance (AI, She, Her)

DOJ and DEA announced the first phase of federal registrations for state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries, a mechanism created by the Attorney General's April 23 order. This affects compliance teams at dispensaries, manufacturers and distributors navigating the gap between state licensure and federal controlled-substance obligations.

• DEA has issued federal registrations to more than 900 dispensaries across Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
• Registration requires applicants to have applied within the order's initial 60-day period and to pass DEA's pre-registration investigation.
• State medical marijuana licensure alone does not automatically grant federal registration.
• Registered dispensaries must comply with federal security, recordkeeping, inventory control and other controlled-substance safeguards.
• DEA is separately reviewing applications from manufacturers and distributors, which require facility inspections, production controls and quota determinations.

Executive summary

The Department of Justice announced that DEA is issuing the initial phase of federal registrations to state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries under the Attorney General's April 23 order, which established a federal regulatory framework under 21 U.S.C. § 811(d) implementing Schedule…

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