The University of
Mississippi and the Only Government Funded Marijuana Farm
That's right, a schedule 1
drug funded by the government of the United States for research on
treatment. This isn't the only sign that the government knows of the
benefit, having a patent of it's own for Cannabinoids as antioxidants
and neuroprotectants. (Source)
A grant from National
Institutes of Health’s (NIH) and the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA) have given Ole Miss an opportunity to grow marijuana for
HHS approved studies. These studies are conducted around the
country for the purpose of finding beneficial and harmful effects and
the chemical components of cannabis.
“Developing new drugs and
delivery systems, as well as a better understanding of the
pharmacology and toxicology of marijuana, is dependent upon a
reliable and consistent source of high-quality, research-grade
Cannabis, ” said Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly, Marijuana Project
director since 1980. “And that’s where we come in—we have a
strong program that provides plant material to the research
community.”
Ole' Miss has developed new
medicines with cannabis, notably with the chemical compound
tetrahydrocannabinol THC found in marijuana. The University of
Mississippi states that this medicine treats chronic conditions such
as nausea from chemotherapy, neuropathic pain and treatment of
multiple sclerosis symptoms. UM has a patent and license that gives
a pharmaceutical company a THC suppository that gives cancer patients
medical marijuana without side effects that other medicine has.
Along with their own grow
farm, the University of Mississippi acquires seized marijuana from
the DEA and has established a way of fingerprinting the cannabis to
trace back it's source. (Source)
Elsohly has seen a steady increase in the potency of THC found in
the cannabis seized from the DEA. “I was categorically told by the
DEA, 'You cannot receive materials from a non-DEA registrant.'"
said Elsohly. "I would very much like to be able to get some of
the materials available in dispensaries, look at them, analyze them,
compare them with everything else around”
Though the DEA and the NIH
allow access to the cannabis for reasearch, it is extremely hard to
get the approval. Orrin Devinsky, director of the Comprehensive
Epilepsy Center at NYU Langone Medical Center said “Physicians
can't easily get at it — nor can their patients”.(Source)
Source
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