Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he wants to see "more competition" among medical marijuana growers who supply the plant to researchers, in his Wednesday morning testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, the Utah Republican, asked Sessions to "clarify" the Justice Department's position on applications from private companies and research institutions to supply researchers with medical-grade marijuana.
"I think it would be healthy to have some more competition in the supply but I’m sure we don’t need 26 new suppliers," Sessions said.
RELATED: Medical Marijuana Research Gaining Support From the GOP
Hatch, while maintaining that he is opposed to the "broad legalization," of marijuana, said he believes "scientists need to study the potential benefits and risks of marijuana."
The Drug Enforcement Administration—which dictates the legal status of controlled substances—announced last year that it planned to increase the supply of medical marijuana available to researchers, potentially paving the way for the Food and Drug Administration to approve a non-synthetic marijuana-based drug.
Prior to the DEA's ruling, the only supply of marijuana available to researchers was grown at a facility at the University of Mississippi, and many complained that the marijuana was low-quality.
