State Licensed Marijuana Dispensaries – DEA Registration Required

State Licensed Marijuana Dispensaries – DEA Registration Required

The DEA has moved state licensed medical marijuana to Schedule III and now requires medical marijuana businesses to register with the DEA as a marijuana manufacturer, distributor, and/or dispenser.

In an effort to expedite DEA registrations for state licensed medical marijuana businesses while causing minimal disruption to patients and existing state systems, the DEA is recognizing the established state medical marijuana regulatory systems as robust infrastructure that meets federal requirements for registration, recordkeeping, preventing diversion, ensuring product safety, maintaining records, and conducting facility inspections.  These systems demonstrate a sustained capacity to achieve the public-interest objectives of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Begin your Marijuana DEA Registration Application (Form 224-MMP) now to take advantage of the interim operating authority.

Applications submitted within 60 days of the publication of Final Rule 2026-08176 (91 FR 22714) on April 28, 2026 (by approximately June 27, 2026) may continue manufacturing, distributing, and dispensing operations as normal during the application review process.  The DEA will make every effort to process the application within six months (21 CFR 1301.13(k)(7)).

It is worth noting that if a business’s state license is suspended, revoked, or expires, the DEA registration is immediately suspended (21 CFR 1301.13(k)(3)).

Important: Choose the Correct Registration Type(s)

When submitting your application, consider the business activities your company engages in.  A single entity may require multiple DEA registrations.  Here are the authorized activities for each registration type:

1. Manufacturer (21 CFR 1301.13(k)(1)(i)): May cultivate, produce, process, package, label, and transfer marijuana and products containing marijuana to registered distributors or other registered manufacturers, subject to the limitations of its state license.
2. Distributor (21 CFR 1301.13(k)(1)(ii)): May receive marijuana and products containing marijuana from registered manufacturers and transfer to registered dispensers or other registered distributors, subject to the limitations of its state license.
3. Dispenser (21 CFR 1301.13(k)(1)(iii)): May dispense marijuana and products containing marijuana to individuals authorized by state law to possess marijuana for medical purposes, subject to the limitations of its state license.

Note: Registrations under this subpart do not authorize any activities for non-medical (e.g., recreational) purposes (21 CFR 1301.13(k)(1)(iv)).  A single entity may be granted multiple types of registrations (21 CFR 1301.13(k)(1)(v)).

How to Submit Your Application

State licensed medical marijuana businesses can submit their DEA Registration applications as a marijuana manufacturer, distributor, and/or dispenser online via the following links:

Direct Link to Marijuana DEA Registration Application: https://mmapplication.diversion.dea.gov/

DEA Website: Visit the DEA Diversion Control Division | Home and click the link in the banner.

Referenced Links

Final Rule 2026-08176 (91 FR 22714): https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-08176

21 CFR 1301.13(k)(7): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-1301/section-1301.13#p-1301.13(k)(7)

21 CFR 1301.13(k)(3): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-1301/section-1301.13#p-1301.13(k)(3)

21 CFR 1301.13(k)(1)(i): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-1301/section-1301.13#p-1301.13(k)(1)(i)

21 CFR 1301.13(k)(1)(ii): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-1301/section-1301.13#p-1301.13(k)(1)(ii)

21 CFR 1301.13(k)(1)(iii): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-1301/section-1301.13#p-1301.13(k)(1)(iii)

21 CFR 1301.13(k)(1)(iv): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-1301/section-1301.13#p-1301.13(k)(1)(iv)

21 CFR 1301.13(k)(1)(v): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-1301/section-1301.13#p-1301.13(k)(1)(v)

DEA Website: https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/index.html