Earlier this week, we reported that the federal government approved a plan to import cannabis products from a Canadian company to be used for tremor research at the University of California San Diego (UCSD).
Many observers seemed surprised that the US would import cannabis from Canada’s Tilray, Inc. when we have plenty right here.
After the announcement, Tilray’s stock jumped nearly 38% by the end of the trading day (Sept. 19), according to MarketWatch. It might also have been affected by the fact that Coca Cola is thinking of dabbling in the Canadian cannabis market.
But, one lone pro-cannabis Republican and close Trump ally, called out the absurdity of the move.
“Unbelievable,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) tweeted the day after the Tilray propostion hit the press. “DEA gives approval to import cannabis compounds from Canada, while AG Sessions is sitting on 2 dozen+ applications from domestic manufacturers. What happened to buy American, hire American?”
Good point.
The congressman was obviously referring to the fact that the Department of Justice continues to limit applications, except for two-dozen, from researchers to legally cultivate marijuana to be used in scientific studies.
Attorney General Sessions has blocked the DEA from acting on the proposals filed by universities and facilities to obtain licenses to legally grow their own research marijuana.
Since 1968, the University of Mississippi has been the only place legally sanctioned to produce cannabis for research in the U.S.
As Rep. Gaetz pointed out, the U.S. is going to import from Canada rather than use our very own excellent and plentiful cannabis.
So much for Trump’s “buy American, hire American.”
