Arizona Tribune - DEA's War on Marijuana Science: How Bureaucratic Clowns Are Blocking Clinical Trials While Spreading Fear Based Fiction

WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / June 1, 2025 / The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has once again embarrassed itself, this time by promoting the ludicrous claim that marijuana may cause more psychosis than methamphetamine. This sensationalist garbage-circulated through their "Just Think Twice" campaign-was framed with all the seriousness of a peer-reviewed journal, yet backed by none of the clinical evidence.

Let's be clear: this is not science. This is propaganda. And it's especially dangerous coming from the very agency actively obstructing legitimate, federally regulated research into the medical use of cannabis.

At the center of the absurdity is a cherry-picked quote from Oregon psychiatrist David Rettew, claiming that marijuana "raises the risk of psychotic disorders more than other drugs, even methamphetamines." There's no clinical study cited, no peer-reviewed data, no rigorous comparative analysis just an offhand opinion that the DEA spun into a headline to keep cannabis in the shadows.

Meanwhile, MMJ BioPharma Cultivation-one of the only companies in the country following federal law to the letter-is still barred from growing cannabis for FDA-authorized clinical trials.

Let that sink in.

The DEA refuses to let a federally compliant company conduct gold-standard scientific research, while simultaneously pushing psychobabble memes about marijuana and infertility, emojis that "mean drugs," and "natural highs" like pet stores and Instagram followers.

This is not a public health agency-it's a clown car with a badge.

MMJ BioPharma: The Victim of Bureaucratic Sabotage

MMJ BioPharma Cultivation has:

• Two FDA-authorized INDs for treating Huntington's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis.

• Orphan Drug Designation for its proprietary cannabinoid formulation.

• A secure, DEA-inspected Schedule I analytical lab.

• A state-of-the-art cultivation facility built to DEA specifications.

And yet, the DEA has refused for seven years to issue a Schedule I bulk manufacturing registration. Why? Not because of safety concerns. Not because of noncompliance. But because-unlike Curaleaf, Cookies, and other recreational giants-MMJ isn't playing the political lobbying game or hiding behind state loopholes. MMJ is doing it the right way, and that seems to be precisely the problem.

While cartels and corporate exporters freely move THC products overseas through "strategic partnerships" and shadowy legal gymnastics, MMJ is being crushed under the weight of federal inaction. The DEA has even subjected them to a constitutionally defective administrative hearing-overseen by an ALJ whose very authority the DOJ has now disavowed.

DEA: Champion of Pseudoscience and Policy Hypocrisy

Let's talk about the DEA's latest intellectual triumphs:

• Comparing cannabis to methamphetamine with no clinical basis.

• Telling teens to skip weed and chase Instagram fame instead.

• Distributing memes claiming cannabis lowers sperm count by 50%, despite contradictory evidence.

• Encouraging students to flood Instagram with "Anti-420" videos, weaponizing youth ignorance as public policy.

Meanwhile, the DEA continues to ignore the 2023 HHS recommendation to reschedule cannabis, based on real, peer-reviewed, FDA-analyzed scientific data.

You cannot claim to care about psychosis while blocking the very clinical trials designed to test safety, efficacy, and neurological effects. That's not science. That's obstruction.

Terrance Cole's Choice: Lead or Rubber Stamp the Marijuana Rot

Now all eyes turn to DEA Administrator-nominee Terrance Cole. Thus far, his public statements have been evasive, his confirmation answers noncommittal, and his track record steeped in anti-cannabis fearmongering.

If Cole refuses to address the unconstitutional DEA tribunals, if he refuses to approve MMJ's license after seven years of federal compliance, if he continues parroting outdated "gateway drug" nonsense-then the agency's credibility, already on life support, will collapse entirely.

End the Madness. Let Science Lead.

The DEA's current posture is untenable. It is promoting misinformation, blocking research, and enabling a regulatory regime that favors corporate exports and illicit markets while punishing pharmaceutical innovators.

MMJ BioPharma has done everything right. The DEA has done everything wrong.

It's time to stop the clown show, shut down the pseudoscience, and issue the damn license.

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

O.Gutierrez--AT