Research

In early 2023, Yale School of Medicine announced the foundation of a new center for cannabis research. The center’s inaugural director recently provided commentary on the goals and direction of the research.

There goes another year in the books. This review of 2022’s extraction greatest hits takes a look at discoveries, advancements in technology, and other highlights from the year. This article also lays out some predictions for 2023, which is set up to be an interesting year with less access to funding that could slow the development of new technology or innovation in the extraction space.

Here we continue the discussion of energy and elements used in atomic spectroscopy by looking at one of the most commonly used analytical techniques in the elemental analytical laboratory—inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).

This article addresses the US Department of Agriculture’s hemp testing rules and what laboratories should know regarding hemp testing. The author provides a short tutorial for laboratories and includes a section how laboratory information management systems (LIMS) can help.

A veterans’ research study to discover how medical cannabis is helping veterans in Massachusetts and nationally. Here, the authors provide an overview of the current study and what the initial findings reveal.

On December 2nd, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, the first piece of standalone cannabis legislation in US history to become law. It will reportedly streamline a new process for cannabis research applications and for manufacturing products for drug development and allow for a larger amount of legal cannabis for research purposes.

Currently in the life cycle of the cannabis industry, it is not obvious where the heavy metal regulatory landscape will end up. Clearly, the big four are not enough, but what is a realistic panel that reflects the real world of cannabinoid production?

This study, which evaluated the potential of a well-designed unidirectional aseptic processing approach to both hydrocarbon and supercritical carbon dioxide extract manufacturing, suggests that the extraction process is capable of deactivating or removing the tested microbial contaminants when highly contaminated Cannabis spp. Inflorescence is used as feed material.

In this recent interview, Bruce Kendall and Dr. Hinanit Koltai of the Volcani Institute share the inspiring story of the late Michelle Kendall and how her passion for science and research brought them all together to study medical cannabis as a potential treatment for ovarian cancer.

The Cannabis & Me research study will reportedly study the effects of cannabis on the human brain, particularly in terms of a user’s prior psychological conditions.

Cannabis provides a conundrum for treating pediatric oncology: While preclinical research provides clear mechanisms of action for cannabis’s potential to treat pediatric oncology, clinical studies are difficult to conduct, due to the associated ethics. Here, we take a closer look at the state of current research.

Research sponsored by biopharmaceutical drug development company Gb Sciences Inc. identified and validated mixtures of cannabis-inspired compounds for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

The 2022 Canna Pharma Conference was held October 12-13 in San Diego, California.

In the work presented here, the author shares research from collecting reports from the New Jersey State laboratory (the Department of Health’s Environmental and Chemical Laboratory Services), which has conducted testing for the state’s medicinal program. He documented an average variance of 20% in potency levels from different samples of the same test lot.

Experts within the global cannabis and hemp industries discuss the importance of testing and regulations and sustainable measures that can reduce the sector’s environmental impact.

Kevin McKernan, Chief Scientific Officer and Founder of Medicinal Genomics, shares some insight behind his recently published paper related to cannabis trichomes and positive results on rapid yeast and mold plates.

One of the recurring challenges in the medical cannabis space is the difficulty in conducting research because of the plant’s Schedule I status. Although there are some researchers diving in with special licenses to conduct clinical studies, there are others that are looking at real-world users to supply data. For instance, Dr. Daniel J. Kruger is a Research Investigator with the Population Study Center at the University of Michigan and Principal Investigator on a study being conducted with the Releaf app. Here, Dr. Kruger shares his interest and background in these types of surveys and his plans for the current study with Releaf on chronic pain.

In his presentation for the psychedelics track at Cannabis Science Conference East 2022, James Schwartz, BSN, LNC, presented “A New Beginning for an Old Therapy: Case Series Review on the Treatment of PTSD and Other Psychiatric Disorders with Psilocybin and Other Psychedelics.” He reviewed the current research and clinical trials studying the effects of psilocybin, plus side effects, potential uses, latest trends, disorders currently being studied, and potential future applications. Schwartz was a trauma trained nurse who worked in the Trauma/Critical Care ICU at Oregon Health and Science University. He is an experienced medical legal consultant and CEO of Cascade High. Here are some highlights from his session.

A recent study disclosed how younger generations are experimenting with cannabis and hallucinogenic use at the highest levels according to data from previous years.

In the work presented here, the authors pursue a more detailed understanding of the naturally rare occurring cannabinoid analogue, hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), by exploring the safety profile using a third-party lab to produce preclinical in vitro safety profile data. The purpose of these studies is to demonstrate HHC as a safe cannabinoid for potential human consumption.

This article examines why we should be studying the cannabinoids beyond THC and CBD in order to explore their potential medical value.

Understanding the biochemical and physical process that comprise and control leaf-level physiology gives us deep insight into the plant, which may convert directly to cultivation practices.

In this article, Ruth Fisher, PhD, presents some of the research being explored with cannabis and autoimmune disorders.

In this interview, Dr. David “Dedi” Meiri discusses his important work at Technion, challenges and opportunities in cannabis research, and a preview of his upcoming presentation for CSC East.

In the work presented here, the authors evaluated the effects of variable red-light exposure on the phytochemical content of four Group III cannabis cultivars.

View our interactive May/June 2022 digital edition.

In this interview, Donaghue Woodman, Head of Research and Development and Chief Medical Information Officer at Cannsun, provides an in-depth look at their current clinical trial on the effects of psilocybin in treating a prevalent yet unresolved issue in South Africa.

A brief summary of a new peer-reviewed paper detailing the assembly of a highly contiguous draft reference genome for the Psilocybe cubensis mushroom by Kevin McKernan, Medicinal Genomics Chief Science Officer, and colleagues.

An overview of the therapeutic role of psychedelics that goes back thousands of years, as well as the new research and the application of microdosing principles that have created renewed interest in the power of psychedelics.

Colombian-based public health company, Khiron Life Sciences Corp., published the results of its first clinical study on the use of medical cannabis prescribed to patients in treating chronic pain.