Courtesy: The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy
Last week, the National Institutes of Health decided to extend The University of Mississippi’s exclusive deal as a sole producer of federally legal marijuana. The government has also provided more funding for the university to have the means to continue growing and analyzing the crop.
Various news reports have released statements that the university was recently allotted $68.8 million for the research; however, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, that amount would be the costliest possible scenario if there were a large increase in demand for the product. The budget is prepared to fund that amount, but the only budget set in stone at this time is an obligation of $1.5 million for the fiscal year of 2015.
Dr. Mahmoud A. ElSohly heads the natural products research project at Ole Miss. ElSohly moved to the university in 1975 after finishing his Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh and started working on cannabis the following year.
ElSohly is an advocate for finding ways to use the medicinal purposes of the drug without the side effect of getting “stoned.” The government agrees with that sentiment and is funding the project for that purpose.
According to ElSohly the amount of crop produced by the National Institute on Drug Abuse depends on the needs of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Drug Supply Program. There is not a set amount for every year; however, it can range from 6kg to over 600kg depending on the demand.
An article in the “Los Angeles Times” reported on the government’s intention to seek out new techniques to grow plants containing various levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, the chemical responsible for the “high” effect caused by marijuana, along with the ingredient cannabidiol, in regards to adding funds to the research project.
The whole facility on campus where the marijuana is grown is called the Coy W. Waller Laboratory Complex. It features an indoor growing facility as well as a 12-acre outdoor growing facility.
“Last year’s growing season was the first we had grown outdoors (in the field) in years, which obviously increased our production from when we were only growing indoors,” said Erin Garrett, communications specialist for the UM pharmacy school.
Second year pharmacy student Farjad Khan said student contact with the plant is not something that’s common amongst the students, even though the garden is linked frequently with the research at the pharmacy school.
On the National Center for Natural Products Research’s webpage, it states: “The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy does not advocate smoking Cannabis for ‘medicinal’ purposes or for any other purposes.” However, it also states research shows the chemicals from the plant may be successfully used in the development of prescription medication.
Junior pharmacy major Emily Nesbit wrote a thesis on medicinal marijuana through an internship with Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence this past summer. Her internship focused especially on glaucoma research.
“After using marijuana on this case, I was able to successfully see the drug lower the pressure of the eye,” Nesbit said. “Before my research, I was completely against marijuana in any form. After the glaucoma experiment, I would say that I am now in favor of the legalization of medical marijuana but not for recreational purposes.”
Twenty-three states have laws legalizing marijuana in some form at this time. Only four states have legalized marijuana for recreational use while 19 have legalized the drug for medicinal purposes.
Kelly Jacobs is an outspoken advocate for legalizing marijuana in the state of Mississippi. She is the leader of Team Legalize and the author of Ballot Initiative 48, a legislative measure to legalize the drug in Mississippi.
Jacobs’ reason for starting the initiative were not entirely for the medical purposes of the drug.
“I am very politically active, and I noticed a pattern that young Mississippians were not registering to vote,” Jacobs said. “The biggest pattern I noticed among the young voters for not voting was because marijuana was not on the ballot.”
Jacobs shared that only 18 percent of Mississippians 30 and younger turned out to vote last November. This number started Jacobs’ interest in the drug.
Jacobs has never smoked marijuana herself but got on board with the concept of its legalization when she found out that it possess the potential for curing brain cancer. This is a topic close to her heart since she lost a brother to brain cancer who would never try marijuana because it was illegal.
“Pretty soon the states that don’t legalize medicinal marijuana will be in the minority,” Jacobs said.
For the first time, the United States government has a bipartisan bill that would change the scheduling of marijuana. Jacobs and her team are required to get 110,000 signatures in order for their bill to move forward, and they are currently at 4,200.
“Let’s regulate marijuana like alcohol,” Jacobs said. “It will only be the government’s business if you drive under the influence or provide it for minors.”
