Politics
DEA Boosts Psychedelic Production Quotas For 2027 While Previewing Separate Marijuana Proposal Under Rescheduling
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is moving to dramatically increase the amount of certain psychedelics that can be legally produced in the U.S. next year for medical, scientific, research and industrial purposes while saying it will be issuing a separate proposal to reflect marijuana production quotas in light of the Trump administration’s rescheduling move.
The agency on Monday filed a draft Federal Register notice laying out proposal 2027 annual production quotas (APQs) for Schedule I and II substances.
“DEA is proposing higher APQs than the 2026 proposed revised APQs for the following schedule I controlled substances: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and ibogaine to support manufacturing activities related to the increased level of research and clinical trials being conducted with these substances for potential treatment of conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression,” the filing says.
For ibogaine, DEA is proposing an especially large increase in legal production—from 210 grams this year to 12,002 grams in 2027.
The agency is proposing to boost MDMA production from 12,000 grams in 2026 to 33,296 grams next year.
DEA said the move “aligns with” executive orders issued by President Donald Trump, including one focused on booting research on and access to psychedelics that he signed in April.
Although not mentioned in the narrative of the new Federal Register filing, the agency is also proposing to increase legal production of the psychedelic psilocybin from 50,000 grams this year to 60,000 grams next year and its related chemical psilocyn from 80,000 grams in 2026 to 93,600 grams in 2027.
When it comes to marijuana, DEA is proposing to keep production of it and related cannabinoids for Schedule I purposes at existing 2026 levels of 6,675,000 grams of cannabis, 1,000,000 grams of marijuana extract, 1,523,040 grams of delta-9-THC and 1,166,130 grams of all other THC.
That said, the agency noted in the Federal Register filing that state-licensed medical cannabis and medical marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration have been moved to Schedule III under an order signed earlier this year by Attorney General Todd Blanche. Accordingly, DEA assigned new unique drug codes for newly rescheduled marijuana and cannabinoids.
“DEA is currently in the process of registering the manufacturers and distributors who will be handling the substances that have been moved to schedule III under the CSA as outlined in the final rule,” it said. “Concurrently, DEA is assessing data sources and methodologies to determine the most reliable and relevant datasets for the estimation of the United States’ legitimate need and production requirements” for rescheduled marijuana and cannabinoids.
As such, the new filing only reflects marijuana-related quota levels for cannabis that remains in Schedule I for research purposes.
“A separate notice will be published in the Federal Register once the proposed APQs for the schedule III substances…are determined,” it said.
A separate hearing is underway to consider the process of moving non-medical marijuana to Schedule III as well.
Once the new Federal Register notice on production quotas is formally published on Wednesday the agency will accept public comments on the proposal for a period of 30 days.
Image element courtesy of Kristie Gianopulos.
