420 with CNW — Factors Hindering Research on Med

420 with CNW — Factors Hindering Research on Medical Marijuana

The number of states legalizing cannabis for medical and recreational use is growing in the United States. This comes as cannabis product marketing increases, more companies enter the flourishing market and the call for the federal prohibition on cannabis to be removed grows.

However, while more research on the therapeutic use of the plant is conducted, many universities and states are finding it hard to carry out as much research on marijuana’s clinical applicability as they want to because of the various hurdles that hinder progression of clinical studies. For instance, the DEA has strict licensing regulations for providers to dispense marijuana and complex requirements for securing marijuana product at the institution carrying out the clinical trials.

Additionally, the government restriction imposed on the marijuana supply researchers conducting studies can use has been a huge obstruction. Since the late 1960s, scientists have only had one supplier of marijuana — the University of Mississippi — which was the only facility contracted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse. This facility wasn’t supplying the full range of products being used by consumers, which slowed the progression of clinical trials involving the use of marijuana and delayed publishing of evidence-based data establishing safety and effectiveness parameters.

It wasn’t until recently that the Drug Enforcement Administration announced that it planned to approve more domestic manufacturers, after decades of calls to do so. This, researchers believe, will be a game changer for marijuana-related research. This is because studying different strains will allow researchers to know exactly what’s inside each strain, particularly because the marijuana products consumers are obtaining from dispensaries are more potent and diverse than marijuana of the past.

Researchers also hope to conduct more research into THC and whether it makes a treatment more effective; they plan to do this once they are allowed to use and carry out research on a variety of products. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is one of the two primary compounds found in the cannabis plant, the other being CBD (cannabidiol). Unlike THC, which has psychoactive properties that induce a high when consumed, CBD doesn’t contain any psychoactive properties.

In addition, researchers hope that having access to a variety of cannabis products will enable scientists to learn how exactly THC and CBD interact with the pain-sensing, inflammatory and endocannabinoid systems in the human body. This type of research will facilitate the development of new and improved treatments and help close the knowledge gap. It should be noted that the cannabis plant contains more than 100 cannabinoids.

Now that more manufacturers have been authorized to begin availing research-grade marijuana for approved clinical trials, the public is likely to learn more about the effects of cannabis products made by sector players such as Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) as the years go by.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/FLGC

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