The DEA Regulatory Revolving Door Spins Again
After years of blocking FDA approved cannabis research for Huntington's and Multiple Sclerosis, former DEA official Matthew Strait has resurfaced on the board of ASOP Global, rebranding himself as a "patient safety" advocate. It's the ultimate Washington hypocrisy: the man who buried medical cannabis under red tape now lectures the world about access and safety. As MMJ CEO Duane Boise put it, "It's the regulatory equivalent of a bad penny that keeps turning up."
WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / October 8, 2025 / When now retired Matthew Strait, a 26-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global), the announcement drew little fanfare in Washington.
But within the pharmaceutical and medical cannabis research community, it landed like a thunderclap.
THOMAS PREVOZNIK MATT STRAIT
Strait's new "patient safety" role represents the regulatory revolving door at its most cynical: the same official who spent years obstructing FDA approved cannabinoid drug development for Huntington's disease and Multiple Sclerosis now claims to champion safe access to medicine.
"It's the regulatory equivalent of a bad penny that keeps turning up," said Duane Boise, CEO of MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, whose company endured Strait's obstruction firsthand. "The same official who blocked access to potentially life changing medicine is now branding himself a defender of safe access. It's Orwellian repositioning at its worst."
From Bureaucratic Delay to Constitutional Collapse
The controversy around Strait's tenure is not just bureaucratic - it's constitutional.
MMJ BioPharma Cultivation applied in 2018 for DEA registration to cultivate pharmaceutical-grade cannabis for FDA clinical trials, targeting two devastating neurological conditions. Despite full compliance with DEA and FDA regulations, and despite Congress passing the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act in 2022 - requiring DEA approval within 60 days - MMJ's application was buried for seven years.
Documents produced through litigation show that Strait's office created contradictory regulatory requirements that effectively froze research in place. Applicants were told they needed a "bona fide supply agreement" before DEA registration - an agreement that, under DEA's own rules, could only be executed after registration was granted.
One DEA official privately admitted, "I know nothing about marijuana," reflecting the agency's longstanding cultural resistance to cannabis science.
"We had the science, the facilities, and FDA Orphan Drug Designations," Boise said. "What we didn't have was permission from an agency that claimed to support research but refused to follow the law."
The Constitutional Earthquake: DOJ Admits DEA Courts Were Illegal
In September 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) formally conceded that the DEA's in-house administrative court system - the very process Strait relied upon to stall cannabis research - was unconstitutional.
Citing 5 U.S.C. § 7521, the DOJ confirmed that Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) were unlawfully shielded from presidential oversight, violating Article II of the U.S. Constitution and the separation of powers.
This reversal followed the Supreme Court's landmark rulings in Axon v. FTC (2023) and Jarkesy v. SEC (2024), which struck down similar "agency-run" tribunals for denying due process.
MMJ BioPharma's lawsuit - filed years before the DOJ's admission - had predicted this collapse. The company argued that DEA's internal courts violated due process and effectively made the agency prosecutor, judge, and jury over its own decisions.
"MMJ was among the first to expose that the DEA's administrative courts were operating outside the Constitution," said Boise. "Now that DOJ has conceded the system is invalid, every agency that used ALJs without proper accountability is on notice."
Matthew Strait's DEA Legacy: Obstruction by Design
As Deputy Assistant Administrator for the DEA's Diversion Control Division, Strait oversaw the regulatory framework governing controlled substances and research licensing.
Under his leadership, cannabis research applications languished, creating what industry insiders describe as a "Catch-22 bureaucracy."
2018-2025: MMJ BioPharma's application remained pending despite statutory deadlines.
2022: Congress passes the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act requiring a 60-day approval.
2023-2024: DEA ignored the law, claiming it still needed "clarification."
2025: DOJ reverses its position on ALJ constitutionality, effectively dismantling Strait's enforcement model.
Meanwhile, MMJ BioPharma - holding FDA Orphan Drug Designations, IND approvals, and GMP-certified partnerships - paid over $20,000 per month maintaining secure facilities it was forbidden to use.
A chart of the damage tells the story of millions of dollars in damages:
Aspect | Before Delay (2018) | After 7-Year Delay (2025) |
|---|---|---|
Research Status | Ready for FDA Clinical Trials | Unable To Manufacture Required Batches |
Patient Access | Huntington's & MS Treatments | No Access |
Legal Framework | DEA Tribunal Operating | Declared Unconstitutional |
Monthly Cost | Minimal | $2m + Facility Expense |
"Every year of delay costs lives and prolongs suffering," said Boise. "This wasn't regulation - it was cruelty disguised as process."
The Revolving Door: From Regulator to Consultant
After retiring from the DEA amid growing legal scrutiny, Strait launched Controlled Substance Strategies LLC, a consulting firm advising the very companies he once regulated.
He now markets "regulatory strategy," "quota management," and "policy interpretation" services to pharmaceutical manufacturers - the same processes he controlled while in government.
His appointment to the ASOP Global Board of Directors completes the circle.
ASOP's mission - combating illegal online pharmacies - is broadly supported. But Strait's presence raises ethical concerns: How can an official who obstructed legitimate pharmaceutical research now claim to defend patient access?
"This is the regulatory revolving door in full spin," Boise said. "The same officials who weaponized bureaucracy for years are now monetizing their experience under the banner of 'safety.'"
A Pattern of Institutional Arrogance
Strait was not alone. Other DEA officials, including Thomas Prevoznik and Aarathi Haig, played key roles in enforcing the agency's unconstitutional systems.
Haig, a DEA attorney, continued to push for tribunal judgments long after Supreme Court precedent made them legally indefensible.
A February 14, 2023 letter from the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners confirmed she was "not eligible to receive a Certificate of Good Standing" for failing to meet continuing legal education, client protection fund, and IOLTA requirements - a troubling indicator of systemic disregard for professional standards inside the DEA's legal division.
The Human Cost: Patients as Collateral Damage
While the legal battles unfold, patients remain trapped in the crossfire.
MMJ BioPharma's research aimed to deliver standardized cannabinoid soft-gel formulations for Huntington's disease and Multiple Sclerosis, conditions for which no curative therapies exist.
Instead, bureaucratic obstruction delayed hope, while patients and families faced deterioration with no alternatives.
"Every delay means another family watching someone decline without treatment," Boise said. "Science is ready - bureaucracy isn't."
Beyond One Man: A System Built to Obstruct
Strait's new career is not an aberration - it's a symptom of a system that rewards failure and recycles obstructionists.
DEA officials who stalled science now occupy "ethics" and "compliance" roles across the healthcare sector, exporting the same policies that crippled cannabis research.
The parallels are unmistakable: like the Department of Labor's overreach against small businesses, the DEA's misconduct represents a pattern of agencies acting as investigator, prosecutor, judge, and executioner under unconstitutional structures now collapsing in court.
Restoring Accountability: The Path Forward
Experts and advocates are calling for structural reform across the DEA and other administrative agencies:
Immediate Stay of DEA Proceedings - Transfer all pending cases to Article III courts for impartial review.
Published Standards - Eliminate circular "bona fide agreement" traps.
Independent Oversight Board - Evaluate scientific and ethical integrity of DEA research policies.
Cooling-Off Periods - Restrict post-agency employment in regulated industries.
Scientific Expertise Requirement - Limit key DEA roles to individuals with verifiable scientific training.
Whistleblower Protections - Safeguard staff who expose obstruction or misconduct.
The Bad Penny Problem
Matthew Strait's return to public influence as an "advocate" for safe access is not a coincidence - it's a case study in how Washington's bureaucracy rewards those who break the system.
For patients with Huntington's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and countless other conditions, the DEA's obstruction has meant years of unnecessary suffering.
For MMJ BioPharma and similar innovators, it's been a fight for survival.
And for the public, it's a reminder that without accountability, the same bad pennies will keep turning up - again and again.
"America doesn't need recycled regulators," Boise concluded. "It needs reformers who believe that controlled substances can also be controlled for good - through science, compassion, and law."
About MMJ International Holdings
MMJ International Holdings, through its subsidiaries MMJ BioPharma Cultivation and MMJ BioPharma Labs, develops pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoid formulations for FDA-regulated clinical trials in Huntington's disease and Multiple Sclerosis.
The company holds a DEA Schedule 1 Lab License, FDA Orphan Drug Designations, multiple IND filings, and global GMP partnerships for manufacturing and distribution.
MMJ is represented by attorney Megan Sheehan
CONTACT:
Madison Hisey
MHisey@mmjih.com
203-231-8583
SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/a-dea-bad-penny-keeps-turning-up-ex-dea-official-matthew-strait-resur-1084187
