The National Center for Cannabis Research and Education is officially open at the University of Mississippi. As Mississippi moves closer to legalizing the use of medical marijuana statewide, the center will focus on understanding the effects of cannabis and cannabis related drugs from a health perspective.
The creation of the NCCRE was approved by the board of trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning Thursday morning, giving the center the green light to move forward with implementation and development. The six-year cost of implementation is $14.4 million.
The center aims to advance medical cannabis related research and contribute to cannabis-related drug development. Interim Director of the NCCRE, Larry Walker, sees UM as an ideal location for a center of this kind.
“For more than five decades, UM has had a strong track record of research on cannabis. UM has been the sole contractor since 1968 to supply cannabis-related products to the National Drug Supply Program,” he said. “We have a strong group in the science of growing and studying cannabis, and a number of additional research efforts have grown out of that nucleus.”
UM has long been home to extensive and, in some ways, exclusive, research on cannabis. The first legal marijuana, grown for research, was grown at the university. The NCCRE continues that trend, putting the university in a position to be ahead of the curve as efforts in the state to establish medical cannabis programs move forward.
“The research will be aimed at understanding the potential benefits and risks/adverse effects of cannabis and cannabis-derived drugs from a health perspective. These may include basic laboratory research on chemistry or pharmacology, and development of new drugs or delivery systems based on cannabinoids,” Walker said. “We envision that eventually these may include clinical studies, conducted here or at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.”
The center is also anticipating that it will also be of use to agencies like the Department of Health in education, training and research when Mississippi’s medical marijuana efforts become law.
Students who wish to get involved in the research that will take place at the NCCRE will find opportunities advertised through regular channels if they arise.
