---
title: Secret DEA Scandal - Marijuana Drug Blockage
description: DEA faces criticism for obstructing federally compliant cannabis research, violating its own policies.
image: https://420intel.com/hubfs/20250610_0837_image.png
---

[![420intel.com](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Asset%2016-1.png?width=300&height=162&name=Asset%2016-1.png "420intel.com")](https://420intel.com)

- [Home](https://420intel.com)
- [Advertise](https://420intel.com/advertise)
- [Directory](https://420intel.com/directory)
- [Topics](https://420intel.com/blog) 
    - [Recreational News](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/recreational-cannabis-news)
    - [Business News](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-business-news)
    - [Politics](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-politics)
    - [Technology](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-technology-news)
    - [Research](https://420intel.com/tag/medical-cannabis-news)
- [Contact](https://420intel.com/contact-us)

- [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/420intel)
- [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/420-intel/)
- [Follow us on Twitter](https://x.com/420intel)
- [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/420intel)

### Press ESC to close

[![420intel.com](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Asset%2016-1.png?width=300&height=162&name=Asset%2016-1.png "420intel.com")](https://420intel.com)

- [Home](https://420intel.com)
- [Advertise](https://420intel.com/advertise)
- [Directory](https://420intel.com/directory)
- [Topics](https://420intel.com/blog) 
    - [Recreational News](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/recreational-cannabis-news)
    - [Business News](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-business-news)
    - [Politics](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-politics)
    - [Technology](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-technology-news)
    - [Research](https://420intel.com/tag/medical-cannabis-news)
- [Contact](https://420intel.com/contact-us)

- [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/420intel)
- [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/420-intel/)
- [Follow us on Twitter](https://x.com/420intel)
- [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/420intel)

# Secret DEA Scandal - Marijuana Drug Blockage

- [![Buzz](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png?width=80&height=80&name=Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png) Buzz](https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz)
- [Cannabis Laws](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/cannabis-laws)
- 10 June 2025

WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / June 10, 2025 / The DEA Diversion division cast of clowns needs a summer assignment and MMJ BioPharma Cultivation has a suggestion: go back and read your own mission statement and training manual.

For years, the DEA DEPUTY Administrator has been the face of obstruction inside the DEA's Diversion Control Division, using his signature to delay, deny, and destroy federally compliant scientific research-including the case of MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, which has been blocked from developing pharmaceutical-grade cannabis for over 2,300 days.

But now, documents from the DEA's own internal guidance-Sections 5202.5 and 5201.12 of the Diversion Control Manual-expose a truth that Prevoznik either doesn't understand or is deliberately ignoring:

The DEA is required to support bona fide Schedule I research, expedite applications, and allow legitimate brokers to process international shipments without registering as importers.

Yet under DEA's direction, the DEA has done exactly the opposite.

Section 5202.5: The DEA Policy Prevoznik Pretends Doesn't Exist

Let's review what the DEA's own policy says:

 

"DEA works closely with the FDA and the National Institute of Health to ensure that research applications are approved expeditiously."

"Every effort should be made to expedite any applications for schedule I research from legitimate individuals."

So why did the DEA deny MMJ BioPharma's Corrective Action Plan without offering any path forward?

Why has the DEA:

- Delayed MMJ's cannabis manufacturing registration for 7 years?
- Forced unconstitutional ALJ hearings?
- Refused to recognize FDA orphan drug designations?
- Sabotaged legitimate research despite a clear mandate to "expedite" it?

Either the diversion administrators were sleeping in school, skipped this section of the manual-or he's actively violating it.

Section 5201.12: The International Hypocrisy

DEA's blockade doesn't stop at domestic research. In an absurd twist of hypocrisy, the DEA allows international corporations to export and import Schedule I substances using unregistered brokers, as long as a DEA-registered entity is involved.

Per Section 5201.12:

"A controlled substance import/export broker who handles paperwork and makes shipping arrangements, but does not take possession, is not required to register with the DEA."

So why is the DEA targeting companies like MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, which have followed every step of the law, while ignoring large recreational marijuana firms illegally shipping Schedule I substances overseas?

The answer is clear: this isn't about compliance. It's about bias, control and corruption.

DEA 's Real Mission: Delay, Not Diversion

While DEA's published mission is to "ensure an adequate and uninterrupted supply" of controlled substances for medical and scientific needs, Prevoznik has twisted that mandate into a blockade.

The DEA is:

- Violating federal law including the *Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act*
- Ignoring President Trump's Right to Try Act
- Defying Supreme Court precedent by pushing unconstitutional ALJs
- And sabotaging lawful, FDA-aligned companies like MMJ BioPharma

This isn't just unethical. It's a direct betrayal of the DEA's own rulebook.

The DEA Administrator Must Send His Diversion Agents Back to School-or Out the Door

As DEA Administrator nominee Terry Cole prepares to take the reins, he must make a choice: allow bureaucratic sabotage to continue, or restore the agency's credibility by enforcing the policies already in writing.

That means:

- Terminating agent's role in cannabis and psilocybin oversight
- Auditing all denied Schedule I research applications since 2018
- Restoring MMJ BioPharma's registration rights
- Enforcing DEA's own internal policies as written in 5202.5 and 5201.12

Because the only thing more dangerous than violating the law is violating it while pretending you're upholding it.

Time to Graduate from the DEA Obstruction Schoolhouse

DEA Diversion and the cast of clowns has had two decades to learn how to administer the DEA's mission. Instead, he's rewritten it behind closed doors, with zero transparency, and at the expense of patients, science, and federal law.

DEA DIVERSION ADMINISTRATOR's -start by reading the manual.

And then do us all a favor:

Step aside.

Start with Section 5202.5.  
Then read 5201.12.  
And then, resign.

Because no agency can lead while being led by someone who doesn't follow their own manual.

MMJ is represented by attorney Megan Sheehan.

 

 

[by Morningstar](https://www.morningstar.com/news/accesswire/1036970msn/dea-diversion-scandal-exposed-marijuana-drug-development-obstruction)

[Cannabis Laws](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/cannabis-laws)

![Buzz](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png?width=200&height=200&name=Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png)

#### [Buzz](https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz)

At 420 Intel, we cover cannabis legalization news throughout the world, offer reliable information for cannabis business owners, detail technological advances that impact the marijuana industry, cover marijuana rallies from across the globe, and everything in between.

- <https://420intel.com/blog/facebook.com/420intel>
- <https://420intel.com/blog/420intel.com>
- <https://420intel.com/blog/advertising@420intel.com>

[Cannabis Business News](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/cannabis-business-news) [![From the Ground Up: Why Cultivators Need a Brand Too](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/The%20image%20depicts%20a%20vibrant%20cannabis%20cultivation%20facility%20bathed%20in%20warm%20natural%20light%20Rows%20of%20lush%20green%20cannabis%20plants%20stretch%20towards%20the%20ceiling%20their%20leaves%20glistening%20with%20droplets%20of%20water%20A%20skilled%20cultivator%20is%20seen%20tending%20to%20the%20plants%20we-1.jpeg?width=550&height=395&name=The%20image%20depicts%20a%20vibrant%20cannabis%20cultivation%20facility%20bathed%20in%20warm%20natural%20light%20Rows%20of%20lush%20green%20cannabis%20plants%20stretch%20towards%20the%20ceiling%20their%20leaves%20glistening%20with%20droplets%20of%20water%20A%20skilled%20cultivator%20is%20seen%20tending%20to%20the%20plants%20we-1.jpeg)](https://420intel.com/blog/from-the-ground-up-why-cultivators-need-a-brand-too)

- [![Buzz](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png?width=80&height=80&name=Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png) Buzz](https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz)
- 17 July 2025

#### [From the Ground Up: Why Cultivators Need a Brand Too](https://420intel.com/blog/from-the-ground-up-why-cultivators-need-a-brand-too)

# From the Ground Up: Why Cultivators Need a Brand Too

 Karly Anderson Jun 17, 2025 3:57:07 PM

[Recreational Cannabis News](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/recreational-cannabis-news) [![Steelyard Commons Gets Drive-Thru Dispensary!](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/The%20image%20depicts%20a%20modern%20singlestory%20building%20designed%20as%20a%20cannabis%20dispensary%20set%20against%20the%20backdrop%20of%20Clevelands%20Steelyard%20Commons%20The%20structure%20features%20large%20glass%20windows%20and%20a%20sleek%20contemporary%20facade%20with%20the%20Story%20Cannabis%20logo%20promine-1.jpeg?width=550&height=395&name=The%20image%20depicts%20a%20modern%20singlestory%20building%20designed%20as%20a%20cannabis%20dispensary%20set%20against%20the%20backdrop%20of%20Clevelands%20Steelyard%20Commons%20The%20structure%20features%20large%20glass%20windows%20and%20a%20sleek%20contemporary%20facade%20with%20the%20Story%20Cannabis%20logo%20promine-1.jpeg)](https://420intel.com/blog/steelyard-commons-gets-drive-thru-dispensary)

- [![Buzz](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png?width=80&height=80&name=Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png) Buzz](https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz)
- 20 May 2025

#### [Steelyard Commons Gets Drive-Thru Dispensary!](https://420intel.com/blog/steelyard-commons-gets-drive-thru-dispensary)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland is set to welcome its first-ever drive-thru cannabis dispensary,...

[Humor](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/humor) [![Cannabis Is A Favorite Of The Met Gala Guests](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/The%20image%20captures%20a%20vibrant%20scene%20at%20the%202025%20Met%20Gala%20where%20celebrities%20gather%20under%20a%20dazzling%20chandelier%20in%20a%20grand%20hall%20adorned%20with%20intricate%20decorations%20reflecting%20the%20theme%20Superfine%20Tailoring%20Black%20Style%20The%20atmosphere%20buzzes%20with%20excitement.jpeg?width=550&height=395&name=The%20image%20captures%20a%20vibrant%20scene%20at%20the%202025%20Met%20Gala%20where%20celebrities%20gather%20under%20a%20dazzling%20chandelier%20in%20a%20grand%20hall%20adorned%20with%20intricate%20decorations%20reflecting%20the%20theme%20Superfine%20Tailoring%20Black%20Style%20The%20atmosphere%20buzzes%20with%20excitement.jpeg)](https://420intel.com/blog/cannabis-is-a-favorite-of-the-met-gala-guests)

- [![Buzz](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png?width=80&height=80&name=Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png) Buzz](https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz)
- 8 May 2025

#### [Cannabis Is A Favorite Of The Met Gala Guests](https://420intel.com/blog/cannabis-is-a-favorite-of-the-met-gala-guests)

Another Met Gala filled with celebrities and interesting fashion, but does marijuana help make the...

- [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/420intel)
- [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/420intel)
- [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/420intel)
- [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/420intel)

Back to Top

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Buzz",
    "url" : "https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-06-10T13:02:58.008Z",
  "datePublished" : "2025-06-10T12:46:06.000Z",
  "headline" : "Secret DEA Scandal - Marijuana Drug Blockage",
  "image" : [ "https://420intel.com/hubfs/20250610_0837_image.png" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://420intel.com/blog/secret-dea-scandal-marijuana-drug-blockage",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://420intel.com/hubfs/Asset%2016.png"
    },
    "name" : "420 Intel"
  }
}
```