// Definition
The National Institute on Drug Abuse's exclusive control over the only legal supply of cannabis for federally-approved research in the United States, effectively blocking clinical trials even when FDA approval has been obtained.
// From the Episode
Rick Doblin explained in detail how NIDA held a monopoly on research cannabis supply. Even when researchers obtained FDA approval, IRB approval, and DEA licensing, NIDA could still block studies by refusing to supply cannabis. MAPS spent over a decade fighting this monopoly. Doblin noted NIDA funded research almost entirely looking at harms of marijuana, not benefits. Starting in 2000, he spent years challenging NIDA's monopoly through administrative and legal channels.