GB Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: GBLX) today announced that it has received notification from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) that prior to making any decisions on the pending applications, the DEA intends to distribute regulations that govern the program of growing marijuana for scientific research under DEA registration. GB Sciences is one of just 33 companies that applied to the DEA to become registered under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to grow (manufacture) marijuana in order to supply DEA-registered researchers in the United States. Last week, after a three-year delay and following pressure by Congress, patients and researchers, the DEA announced that it will move forward with creating revised regulations and with reviewing the applications.

“We are well-positioned to meet and exceed the DEA’s criteria, and we intend to aggressively pursue federal licensure,” said Dr. Andrea Small-Howard, Chief Science Officer and Director of GB Sciences. “The sophistication of our facilities, our team’s deep scientific experience, and our groundbreaking cannabinoid therapies are unparalleled inthe United States.”

According to the letter from the DEA, it is looking to facilitate research, advance scientific understanding about the effects of marijuana, and potentially aid in the development of safe and effective drug products that may be approved for marketing by the Food and Drug Administration.

GB Sciences’ 28,000-square-foot facility in Las Vegas, Nevada features one of the only pharmaceutical-grade “cleanroom-type” grows in the United States. The company’s groundbreaking research program, led by Dr. Small-Howard with nine university research partners in the U.S. and internationally, has created a patent portfolio of cannabis-based therapies that cover over 60 disease and health conditions including Parkinson’s disease, neuropathic pain, and cardiac hypertrophy.