National Institute on Drug Abuse Quietly Ends 57-Year Cannabis Supply Contract With University of Mississippi

OG Article By Anthony Martinelli in News ****Watch Today's LIVE Episode on YouTube, X, and Rumble

July 15, 2025

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has officially discontinued its contract with the university, according to a report by the Cannabis Wire.

Ole Miss was the only entity in the United States allowed to cultivate marijuana for federally approved studies for over five decades, holding an exclusive contract with the federal government since 1968.

That monopoly came to an end in 2021, when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began licensing additional cultivators in an effort to diversify the supply of research-grade marijuana and improve product quality.

Despite these new licenses, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) continued sourcing exclusively from the University of Mississippi—until now.With the contract terminated, it’s unclear where NIDA will obtain marijuana for future studies. Although the DEA has licensed at least 10 additional growers, no federal contracts with those growers have been confirmed.

The move may reflect a broader shift in federal marijuana policy, as the DEA continues to consider rescheduling marijuana under federal law, a move that would drastically expand research possibilities.