Arizona Tribune - DEA Marijuana Hypocrisy - Opiate Mission Critical or MMJ Mass Obstruction - Saving Lives?

WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / April 24, 2025 / In a recent public forum, Thomas W. Prevoznik, Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), has positioned himself as a champion of public health. At a recent keynote address on substance use disorder and access to opioid treatment, Prevoznik declared: "This is mission critical because at DEA we are here to save lives, just like all of you. And we can't do this alone. We need your collaboration and your skills."

Yet behind this polished rhetoric lies a disturbing contradiction under Prevoznik's leadership, the DEA has deliberately obstructed legitimate scientific research aimed at saving lives through pharmaceutical cannabis treatments.

A Seven-Year Stall That Betrays the DEA's "Mission"

Since 2018, MMJ BioPharma Cultivation has pursued a DEA bulk manufacturing registration to grow pharmaceutical-grade marijuana for FDA-approved clinical trials targeting Huntington's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. The company:

• Built a federally compliant facility

• Passed DEA inspections

• Submitted multiple FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) applications

• Earned FDA orphan drug designation for Huntington's Disease

And yet, no registration has been issued.

Why? According to internal complaints and investigative reports, Thomas W. Prevoznik has played a direct role in slowing or blocking MMJ's progress, despite the agency's statutory obligations under the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act (MCREA) to process such applications within 60 days. It has now been over 2,300 days.

"Prevoznik's words say collaboration, but his actions show obstruction," said Duane Boise, CEO of MMJ BioPharma. "He is complicit in denying patients access to therapies for conditions that have no cure."

The Consequences of Delay: Real Human Suffering

Huntington's Disease is a rare, genetic neurological disorder that causes progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the brain. Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects more than a million Americans. Both are incurable. Cannabis-based treatments developed under rigorous pharmaceutical protocols offer real hope - but the DEA's obstruction, led in part by Prevoznik, has denied patients even the chance to try.

MMJ's research is designed to meet FDA standards, not state dispensary models. The goal: a reproducible, scientifically validated softgel capsule that relieves symptoms like spasticity, cognitive decline, and chronic pain. And still, Prevoznik's division blocks it.

A Pattern of Duplicity

Prevoznik publicly promotes access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) - and rightly so. But the contradiction is glaring: while advocating for life-saving treatments in one context, he actively suppresses them in another. His dual stance reveals either ideological bias against cannabis, or worse, bureaucratic allegiance over scientific evidence.

"Prevoznik says the DEA exists to save lives," Boise said. "But he's made decisions that cost lives. That's not a regulator. That's a heartless hypocrite."

The Need for Accountability

MMJ BioPharma is now calling for:

• Congressional hearings on DEA delays and bias in cannabis research

• Inspector General review of Diversion Control Division actions

• Schedule F personnel reviews targeting officials like Thomas W. Prevoznik

The stakes are not theoretical. They are personal, medical, and urgent. While Prevoznik speaks of saving lives, he stands accused of doing the opposite.

MMJ is represented by attorney Megan Sheehan.

CONTACT:
Madison Hisey
[email protected]
203-231-8583

SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

S.Jackson--AT