A Connecticut-based medical cannabis producer is teaming up with researchers from the Yale University School of Medicine to conduct a clinical study. The partnership will explore the benefits of cannabis as a treatment for various chronic conditions.

“Our goal is to develop a human drug product,” said CTPharma’s chief operating officer, Rino Ferrarese. CTPharma is the name of the company conducting the cannabis study alongside Yale University researchers.

Human subjects will participate in the study, which will involve the use of FDA-approved medical cannabis. Back in in October, the product that patients will be administered received approval from the state Department of Consumer Protection.

Legislation was approved by the General Assembly in 2016 allowing the department to give research programs the go-ahead if they utilize medical cannabis provided by a licensed hospital, dispensary or educational program. Additionally, the research efforts must be overseen by an institutional review board.

Male and female cannabis consumers to partake in Yale University cannabis study

Two groups of people will be involved in the Yale University cannabis study. A portion of them will be male and female study subjects aged between 21 and 45; these people will regularly use the plant for recreational purposes, but will not meet the necessary criteria to be diagnosed with cannabis use disorder.

A separate group of people – a mixture of men and women between the ages of 21 and years old with chronic pain – will also participate in the Yale University cannabis study; each of these study subjects will currently be using an opioid-type pain reliever as a means of relieving the symptoms of chronic pain disorders. 

Six different impatient sessions will commence during the study, which will see the study subjects be administered with either a specific dose of CBD, a THC:CBD combination, or a placebo. For THC:CBD combinations, the ratio of psychoactivity to non-psychoactivity will vary.

Yale University cannabis study subjects will be randomly administered with varying CBD/THC dosages

Individuals selected to participate in the Yale University cannabis study will be randomly chosen to receive either a placebo or a THC:CBD combination. Each individual’s vital signs will be measured by the study’s lead scientists, who will closely monitor each individual’s blood pressure and heart rate. In addition to this, the level of CBD and THC contained in each study subject’s blood will be analyzed.

Analysis gleaned by Yale University scientists will be used to better understand how the cannabis plant’s active chemical compounds may potentially hold the key to relieving pain and stress. The scientists hope to determine a suitable dosage of cannabinoids for patients who suffer from chronic pain or stress-related conditions.

Yale University cannabis study could improve patient access 

Currently, medical cannabis patients in Connecticut can receive the plant as medicine if they are diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, general stress is not listed as a qualified condition. The team of researchers and scientists who are carrying out this Yale University cannabis study hope to change things and simplify access for patients.

“For thousands of years, humans have used cannabis as medicine,” Ferrarese said. “But there is only one cannabinoid medicine approved by the FDA.”

That medicine was Epidiolex, which is a cannabis-based medication developed by British drugs company GW Pharmaceuticals. In June of last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave it the green light as a treatment for two rare types of epilepsy; Dravet syndrome and Lennox-gastaut syndrome.