Feds Request New Cultivators to Supply NIDA Researchers
NEW YORK, NY – A federal agency this month took steps to end a decades-long monopoly on cannabis grown for research, issuing a call for “qualified businesses” to supply marijuana for approved programs. The announcement was not a Request for Proposal, merely a “sources sought” request. The proposal from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) seeks capability statements “from all businesses having the in-house capability to act as a centralized source for acquisition and/or production of cannabis and related materials for research purposes .” The University of Mississippi holds the only federal license to grow cannabis. That 12-acre farm has held a non-competitive contract since 1968. “Interested organizations must demonstrate and document, in any capability statements submitted, extensive experience with and the ability to perform the above tasks.” These businesses and organizations “should demonstrate capability to administer and coordinate interrelated tasks in an effective ...