Will DEA’s War on Cannabis Research Claims Another Casualty?

From Dr. Lyle Craker, University of Mass. to Duane Boise, CEO of MMJ BioPharma Cultivation;

Dr. Craker died still waiting for the DEA to embrace cannabis science. The same cannot be allowed to happen to MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, whose FDA Multiple Sclerosis and Huntington’s Disease clinical trials could bring relief to patients suffering from incurable neurological disorders.

WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / August 3, 2025 / On May 15, 2022, the world lost a marijuana scientific pioneer. Dr. Lyle Craker, Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He died the way he lived – fighting for truth, science, and patient access to life-saving botanical medicines.

But even in death, Dr. Craker’s cannabis battle remains unfinished. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the very agency that stonewalled his research for nearly a decade, is still using the same corrupt playbook to block MMJ BioPharma Cultivation’s FDA approved clinical trials for Huntington’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis.

The more things change, the more the DEA stays the same.

Dr. Craker’s Legacy at UMass: A Life Dedicated to Medicinal Plant Science

Dr. Craker, a Wisconsin farm boy turned internationally recognized scientist, led the medicinal plant program at UMass Amherst. From researching the environmental effects of acid rain to advising on the Botanical Safety Handbook, his contributions spanned over 150 published works and shaped generations of herbal medicine experts.

But his name became synonymous with cannabis research advocacy. Beginning in 2001, Craker fought the DEA for permission to grow research-grade cannabis – not for profit, but for science. Parents of pediatric cancer patients begged him to help legalize studies into cannabis’s anti-nausea and appetite-stimulating properties. Craker stepped up, only to be met with aniron curtain of DEA bureaucracy.

Despite an Administrative Law Judge ruling in his favor in 2007, the DEA, under Michele Leonhart, overruled its own judge, citing phantom “diversion risks.” Craker’s appeals fell on deaf ears, and in 2009, his application was formally denied.

MMJ BioPharma Cultivation: The New Target of DEA Sabotage

Fast forward to 2025: MMJ BioPharma Cultivation has done everything the DEA claims to demand.

• FDA Orphan Drug Designation for therapies targeting Huntington’s Disease.

• Two active FDA INDs.

• A DEA-inspected, Schedule I Analytical Laboratory.

• A Bona Fide Supply Agreement with a DEA registered entity.

Yet, for 7 years, the DEA has refused to grant MMJ’s registration to bulk manufacture pharmaceutical-grade cannabis for clinical trials. The agency has even fabricated retroactive requirements, like the infamous “Bona Fide Supply Agreement (BFSA),” and applied them after MMJ’s application was already pending.

This is regulatory obstruction, not public safety.

Same Story, New Victims

Dr. Craker’s struggle exposed the DEA’s penchant for delay tactics and sham diversion concerns. But MMJ’s battle reveals something worse: the DEA defying Congress, the FDA, and the Supreme Court to protect a prohibitionist monopoly.

• Craker wanted to grow research cannabis.

• MMJ wants to manufacture pharmaceutical-grade cannabis under FDA-supervised clinical trials.

In both cases, the DEA’s obstruction has been an act of policy-driven sabotage, prioritizing outdated ideology over scientific progress.

Terrance Cole’s Moment of Truth

As Terrance Cole assumes his role as DEA Administrator, he faces a defining question:

Will he break rank with the agency’s anti-cannabis obstructionists, or will he allow the DEA’s shameful history to continue under his leadership?

Dr. Craker died still waiting for the DEA to embrace science. The same cannot be allowed to happen to MMJ BioPharma, whose trials could bring relief to patients suffering from incurable neurological disorders.

Congress and the Courts Have Spoken – Will the DEA Listen?

• The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act (MCREA) mandates timely action on research applications.

• The Supreme Court (Axon, Jarkesy) has ruled against unconstitutional agency tribunals like the DEA’s ALJ process.

• The FDA has already given MMJ the green light.

The only obstacle left is the DEA’s entrenched leadership clinging to prohibition era control.

From Craker’s Dream to MMJ’s Reality – Terrance Cole Must Choose

Dr. Lyle Craker’s vision was clear: a future where cannabis research is driven by science, not politics. He never lived to see it.

Now, the DEA stands at a crossroads. Under Terrance Cole’s leadership, it can either continue its war on science, or it can correct its course and allow legitimate research to proceed.

For patients waiting on MMJ’s FDA trials, time is running out.

For Terrance Cole, the next move is his.

MMJ is represented by attorney Megan Sheehan.

CONTACT:
Madison Hisey
MHisey@mmjih.com
203-231-8583

SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings

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