On Monday, the Feds called “their guy” in Mississippi and let him know they would need a few more pounds than they did last year. The order, on behalf of the National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA), asked for 1,430 pounds of medicinal grade cannabis from the University of Mississippi. That is more than 30 times the amount they originally ordered for 2014!
What is driving this demand for more research? It may have something to do with what is going on in Colorado and Washington. In addition to those two states and the 20+ medicinal programs around the country, the sentiment and approval for marijuana reform is here and is no longer able to be kept quiet. Many realize the plant’s medicinal benefits, but federal laws keep those that are interested in doing research legally, in the dark.
The marijuana requested will be used in research studies funded by the federal government and performed by the NIDA. In order to continue to properly reform the antiquated marijuana laws in this country, research needs to be done. At this point, the Feds are the only ones granted with this privilege. So until they allow others to perform the much-needed research, it’s good to see that they are at least increasing the quantity used in the process.
Quantum 9, Inc. is the leading North American Medical Marijuana Consulting firm.
We could save the money and time involved in new research by recognizing the many thousands of pages of marijuana research done in other countries.