Director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Helene Langevin recently noted that the abundance of federally funded research on cannabis has been “narrowly focused on the potential harms” of THC..
“There is a growing interest among health care providers and the public in understanding the potential therapeutic uses of cannabis-related products,” said Langevin. “But this interest must be accompanied by research that can deepen our knowledge and inform health decisions.”
The fact that marijuana remains a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is the main barrier to studies, Langevin noted. “Cannabinoid research is fraught with obstacles“, it continued.
BesidesNCCIH recently published a “Request information” (RFI), seeking feedback from the scientific community “on their interest in and barriers to research on the health effects of cannabis and its components,” Marihuana Moment first reported.
What would be the solution to avoid obstacles to cannabis research?
“A key step in successfully generating more scientific evidence for the potential clinical uses of cannabis products is to identify barriers to conducting research and then develop approaches that can help overcome them.” Langevin said. “The RFI responses we receive will help expand our understanding of the research infrastructure needed to foster rigorous studies and identify areas of interest within the field.”
Langevin said he sees the NCCIHs “Ongoing work in cannabinoid research as a natural extension of our broader effort to advance the scientific understanding of the health of the whole person.”
More research to stop the public health crisis
In addition, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released in Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) promote “mechanistic research” in minor cannabinoids such as CBG, CBN and delta-8 THC.
“These activities are timely, especially given the potential role of cannabinoids in pain management,” said Langevin. “Overdependence on opioids has created a public health crisis and untold losses across the country. Advancing research that can produce new and potentially safer tools that meet the needs of people with chronic pain is an essential step in addressing the problem at the root.”
recently, Khiron Life Sciences Corp. KHRNF (TSXV: KHRN.V) published in the international peer-reviewed journal journal Frontiers in Pain Research the results of their first clinical study on the use of medicinal cannabis prescribed to Colombian patients in the treatment of chronic pain. This is the first published clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of Khiron’s THC- and CBD-based cannabis formulations, the two most prescribed products at Khiron’s Zerenia Clinics in Colombia.
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