443,680 grams.

That’s how much marijuana the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) wants federally-licensed researchers to grow for use in scientific studies in 2018.

That amounts to a little more than 978 pounds of government-cultivated cannabis.

While that may sound like a lot, it’s actually a slight decrease from this year’s level.

The 2018 aggregate production quotas that DEA laid out in a Federal Register filing slated for publication on Wednesday are amounts the agency thinks will “provide for the estimated medical, scientific, research [and] industrial needs of the United States, lawful export requirements, and the establishment and maintenance of reserve stocks.”

In addition to establishing the quota of nearly 1,000 pounds of marijuana, DEA will allow the production of 384,460 grams of tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) in 2018.

The order, signed by Acting DEA Administrator Robert W. Patterson, also allocates quotas of 92,120 grams of cocaine, 40 grams of LSD, 45 grams of heroin, 30 grams of psilocybin, 30 grams of ibogaine and varying levels of many other substances.

The filing comes just a few days after DEA finalized 2017 drug production quotas, establishing a limit of 472,000 grams of marijuana and 409,000 grams of THC.

In comparison, the proposed reduction for 2018 seems to run counter to DEA’s stated goal of expanding marijuana research. If there are to be more studies, it would probably make sense to allow for an increased supply of cannabis. [Read more at Forbes]