Is Massachusetts on track to become a pioneer in cannabis research?

As a national leader in fields such as health care, life sciences and biotech, “The Bay State” stands a good chance at dominating the cannabis sphere.

Cannabis legalization in Massachusetts could potentially drive scientists and academics to carry out in-depth scientific research on the plant, according to former global health worker and doctor of public health, Marion McNabb.

Legal and financial restraints have delayed cannabis research thus far, but with the state poised to accrue extra revenue from cannabis sales once it is legalized, Massachusetts might well be the global leader in plant-based research.

“My vision is Massachusetts could be the number one leading cannabis research state in the world,” said McNabb.

Cannabis research in Massachusetts could teach scientists more about the healing potential of the plant and its uses within the medical industry.

Researchers require more scientific proof of cannabis’ benefits

Understanding how to deal with cannabis is a prominent national policy question and it seems that Massachusetts may have the answer.

Despite the fact the green plant remains illegal under federal law, it has been legalized for medical use in 29 states and approved for recreational use in a total of eight, so far.

Questions regarding the influence cannabis is having on opioid dependency are constantly being brought up during discussions among policymakers.

Some other commonly debated issues concerning cannabis are the safety of the drug and its impact on driving.

However, cannabis experts claim that factual information is difficult to fathom, what with the lack of scientific research on this “healing” drug.

Massachusetts looks hopeful to change the way the world views the cannabis plant, if scientific researchers are able to surpass certain obstacles, that is.

“Given the investment in technology, the staggering array of biotech and scientific expertise, it virtually ensures Massachusetts will be an important player,” said Staci Gruber.

Gruber is the official director of MIND, Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery, at Belmont-based McLean Hospital.

She recently received funding for cannabis research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

License applications for cannabis research in Massachusetts opened May 1

Licenses for cannabis research in Massachusetts are being authorized by the state law legalizing cannabis.

In order to be applicable for these licenses, the cannabis research facilities must be clarified as a nonprofit, academic institution or corporation.

Facilities of this kind are legally allowed to grow or purchase cannabis for the sole purpose of executing beneficial research.

Applications for licenses started on May 1. Cannabis is not allowed to be sold by the research facilities.

January 2017 saw the inauguration of a research start-up in Somerville, known as the Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN).

The CEO and co-founder, Marion McNabb devoted the last year to embracing a research strategy for cannabis. Networking and educational events are hosted at her organization, with a major focus on cannabis science.

According to McNabb, the organization aims to conduct its own research.

The creation of an online portal is also in the works. It will provide researchers with a place to share cannabis science data and findings. McNabb is confident that the creation of such a portal may “drive science and evidence-based practices” and inform policy.

“Now, someone publishes one study on cannabis and opioids, another looks at youth prevention, they’re all in silos,” McNabb said.

Cannabis research in Massachusetts will face challenges

There is no doubting the fact that any cannabis research facility will be presented with difficulties of some kind.

Perhaps the most likely challenges would be associated with cannabis’ federal classification as an illegal drug.

For starters, federal law controls and oversees clinical trials.

In order to correctly execute scientific research on the effects of cannabis on people, a federal agency must first give approval. Furthermore, the cannabis must be cultivated at the University of Mississippi in accordance with NIDA auspices.

Nevertheless, scientific researchers say that cannabis cultivated by government researchers is different to the cannabis sold in today’s burgeoning market. Typically, the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content us much lower than that of commercially available cannabis.

The NIDA has, however, recently expanded its inventory for research purposes. The majority of cannabis-based products used for research by the NIDA are flower, as opposed to the types of products sold in weed-friendly state markets, such as edibles, oils, and tinctures.

“The products the government grows and oversees for research may not have any bearing on products patients are using in the real world,” said Gruber.

In August 2016, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency revealed how it would permit cannabis cultivators the chance to register with them for the production of cannabis for research purposes.

For 25 years, Gruber has been committed to researching recreational cannabis. She has been studying the effects of medicinal cannabis for three years and shone a light on the many “creative” methods of studying cannabis’ effects on people, in spite of federal rules.

She gleans a lot of her research from patients who receive medicinal cannabis from dispensaries in Massachusetts.

Additionally, researchers use NIDA products to develop their own cannabis edibles or oils.

Gruber believes that her job would be a lot easier if the federal government enabled her to join forces with a local dispensary or state grower.

“It’s difficult to change laws without empirically sound data, but you can’t do clinical trials that represent what most people are taking,” Gruber said, referring to the limitations as a “catch-22”.

Gaining federal approval to procure pot is not always a simple task.

When UMass Amherst professor of plant biology Lyle Craker began filling out applications for licensing to study cannabis from the federal government way back in 2002, little did he know that he would still be waiting for a response 16 years later.

Craker is keen to research the medical properties of cannabis so that he can determine precisely what medicinal impact it may have on patients with widespread illnesses and diseases.

Unfortunately, Craker’s licensing application to study cannabis was rejected. This has not deterred him though, with the professor reapplying every year thereafter.

“I keep requesting one, but they don’t even answer me anymore. Before, they just said no,” says Craker.

Massachusetts labs will acquire cannabis for testing from local cultivators

Based on new state laws, labs in Massachusetts will be given the go-ahead to purchase cannabis from growers in the local area.

This cannabis will be used in tests that exclude clinical trials.

Funding predicaments may prevent some researchers from studying cannabis’ effects on people, however.

Government grants usually cover the cost of scientific research, but there is a notable lack or grants available specifically for cannabis-focused research. The prospect of federal funding being jeopardized is preventing universities in Massachusetts from pursuing cannabis research.

“A sore lack of funding” is clearly noticeable in states that have established medical cannabis programs, including Colorado and Washington. A mere $70,000 has been distributed to the Cannabis Control Commission for research purposes by lawmakers in the state.

Funding for cannabis research in Massachusetts is not deemed to be worthwhile by investors, with many believing the industry at large has not experienced any significant benefit from funding research.

“That’s our big conundrum — who’s going to fund us,” McNabb said.

On the plus side, a number of federal advances have been noticeable.

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration moved closer to the approval of a cannabis-based treatment for epilepsy. If approved, Epidiolex by GW Pharmaceuticals will be the first cannabis-based drug ever to be awarded approval from the FDA.

There is a possibility that federal law will delay cannabis research in Massachusetts. President of MCR Labs in Framingham, Michael Kahn, voiced his concerns for research funding, divulging that the university refused to publish research findings after his laboratory collected data with a professor.

Why? Because the university feared it would lose federal funding.

All facets of cannabis research must be delved into, according to experts, including the efficacy of the drug, its safety and the disparities between cannabis flower and concentrate.

“There’s countless research studies that can be started very quickly, should certain restrictions be cleared,” said Gruber.

Since Massachusetts boasts incredible potential to become a center for the entire cannabis industry, experts hope that scientific researchers will soon be free to conduct studies on the plant as they wish.