For more than 50 years the University of Mississippi contained the only federally sanctioned marijuana cultivation facility designated for federal research purposes. In 2016 the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced that they would expand the number of cultivators whose product could be used in federal marijuana research. The company, Maridose LLC, is based out of Florida and is one of roughly two dozen applicants for a cultivation permit from the DEA.
Maridose has chosen a 2,200 square foot space in the TechPlace business incubator facility at Brunswick Landing. The company hopes to begin operation at some point next year. For now the company waits for final approval from the DEA. The permit would not allow Maridose to sell cannabis to the general public. Only a limited number researchers can work with Maridose but the number is growing. Between 2017 and 2020 the DEA says that the number of federal cannabis researchers increased from 371 to 595.
Find out more about this story from Central Maine: https://www.centralmaine.com/2022/05/02/firm-planning-rare-cannabis-research-operation-in-maine/