One of the many reasons that the federal government uses to ignore the need to change cannabis laws is a lack of research – which we know at this point is an excuse. Considering the countless small-scale studies done on the plant for various ailments and illnesses, there is more than enough evidence that it has medicinal benefits and potential to restore lives to a quality worth living. But, the federal government still demands more research.
However, it seems in recent years they may be prepared to finally allow researchers the opportunity to examine cannabis on a larger scale for clinical trials – and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made this even more of a possibility with their approval of CBD-based Epidiolex.
Duane Boise, CEO of the company further stated, “At MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, we are nurturing the quality and effectiveness of medical marijuana through the careful cultivation of cannabis plants in the United States. Our goal is to provide the purest, highest quality pharma grade medicinal marijuana for patients dealing with pain and chronic illness.”
Now, a company called MMJ BioPharma Cultivation – a cultivation and research company – has applied for a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Schedule-I Bulk Manufacturer license, which would allow them to grow cannabis plants that would be used for FDA approved clinical trials. Specifically, it would allow MMJ BioPharma Cultivation to provide MMJ International Holdings with extracts from cannabis plants to support their investigative new drug filings for both multiple sclerosis and Huntington’s disease.
MMJ BioPharma has partnered with a U.S. Native American Tribe to perform the cultivation on their land – expecting to use approximately 1 million square feet. They expect to build a state-of-the-art extraction analytics lab that would meet DEA requirements and researchers’ needs. Along with meeting the needs of the MMJ International Holdings research, they would also be able to meet the demand from hospitals and other researchers and scientists for other FDA and DEA approved clinical trials.
Dr. Elio Mariani, a senior executive of the company and big pharma veteran stated “we are looking forward to our collaboration with the tribe in unlocking the potential of cannabinoid medicines to address serious medical conditions. Our efforts will be guided by the FDA and DEA as we strive to produce the highest pharma grade plants and extracts for clinical research.”
Considering one of the biggest complaints from those looking to do federally supported research is a lack of quality cannabis to use in their trials, there is hope that this company will be able to resolve this issue. While this is far from legalization, this is a step in the right direction on a federal level.
