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At last, researchers will be able to get their hands on the stuff. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced it will allow more organisations to grow and distribute marijuana for the purposes of research.

Until now, the only approved supplier of cannabis for science has been the University of Mississippi. This has made it difficult for researchers to study the drug, such as its effects on depression, and whether it might help people with post-traumatic stress disorder.

But the DEA today announced it will allow other organisations to apply to become registered suppliers, a move it hopes will foster more marijuana research.

This policy change follows a letter last year calling on the DEA to take action to support more research into marijuana’s medical benefits, signed by eight US senators.

“One thing I hear loud and clear from everybody, even the most conservative lawmakers, is that we need more research,” , an end-of-life care researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, told �鶹��ý in April.

There are currently registered to conduct marijuana research in the US. But of these, only eight received shipments from the University of Mississippi’s sanctioned farm in 2015 – about average for any given year.

But a boost in supply won’t necessarily lead to a boom in cannabis research. The DEA has decided not to change the drug’s Schedule 1 classification, a category typically reserved for drugs that offer no medical benefits. This may mean that some researchers will continue to struggle to persuade certain funding agencies to support their projects, while others may be deterred by the lengthy approval process.

Read more: DEA mellowing out on cannabis would make medical research easier