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A new study led by the one of the only people permitted by the U.S. government to grow marijuana for research purposes finds that cannabis available across the country is \u201cbasically the same\u201d in terms of its primary cannabinoid content. Genetics, the paper says\u2014not regional growing differences\u2014are chiefly responsible for the chemical makeup of the plant.<\/p>\n
\u201cData showed that the cannabinoids profile of all high \u03949<\/sup>-THC cannabis samples, regardless of the state or region from which the samples are seized or the state from which the sample is produced under a state medical marijuana program, is basically the same,\u201d the paper claims, reporting that samples analyzed averaged between 10 percent and 20 percent THC.<\/p>\n Another of the study\u2019s claims, however, may be more controversial: The report asserts that marijuana available to consumers in state-legal markets is not only similar across the country but also \u201cvery similar to the chemical profile of the research cannabis\u201d available through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Drug Supply Program\u2014a program that several years ago came under fire for providing allegedly substandard marijuana for research purposes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe chemical profile of the illicit cannabis in the different regions of the USA as well as the \u2018state legal cannabis\u2019 available in dispensaries,\u201d the paper says, \u201cis very similar to the chemical profile of the research cannabis available in the Drug Supply Program (DSP), provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for research in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n At least historically, that hasn\u2019t always been the case. During a dustup in 2017, researchers who were studying the use of cannabis to treat PTSD in military veterans drew attention what they said was virtually unusable material sent by NIDA.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t resemble cannabis. It doesn\u2019t smell like cannabis,\u201d researcher Sue Sisley told PBS Newshour at the time, adding that some of the government samples didn\u2019t match her requested potency while other samples were contaminated with mold.<\/p>\n NIDA\u2019s Drug Supply Program is the only legal source of marijuana for clinical research in the country, but \u201cthey weren\u2019t able to produce what we were asking for,\u201d Sisley told<\/a> PBS.<\/p>\n Cannabis for NIDA\u2019s Drug Supply Program is grown by the University of Mississippi, the only facility currently permitted by the federal government to grow marijuana for clinical research. Overseeing cultivation there is Mahmoud ElSohly, an Ole Miss pharmacologist who helms the school\u2019s Marijuana Research Project.<\/p>\n ElSohly, who was the lead author of the new study<\/a>, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, told Marijuana Moment that his team found largely similar cannabinoid content in marijuana samples from across the country.<\/p>\n Average cannabinoids content of cannabis samples from different regions of the United States for last 10\u2009years (2013\u20132022). ElSohly et al. \/ Frontiers in Public Health<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe main message that we\u2019re talking about [is] it really doesn\u2019t matter what materials you have, doesn\u2019t matter where it\u2019s produced, doesn\u2019t matter where it\u2019s seized,\u201d he said in an interview last month. \u201cAll the materials that are there are determined by the genetic makeup of the plant material.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot believe\u2014or have no reason to believe\u2014that the pharmacology of any one of those products available in one state is going to be different from the pharmacology of products that are available in another state,\u201d he added, \u201csimply because the chemical profile is very similar.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about the paper\u2019s conclusion that cannabis on the U.S. market is also \u201cvery similar\u201d to marijuana available through NIDA, ElSohly said that past complaints about cannabis quality were overblown and are being addressed in new products being produced by the program.<\/p>\n Average cannabinoids content of cannabis flower samples acquired from dispensaries in three different States. ElSohly et al. \/ Frontiers in Public Health<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He said the criticism around the 2017 study marijuana came largely from \u201cpro-cannabis-legalization\u201d advocates, many of whom were \u201cjust not really knowledgeable with the whole activity that\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe NIDA program is not there to prepare materials to please the cannabis users, people that are addicted to cannabis or people who are using cannabis for recreation. We\u2019re not doing this for any of these people,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are producing cannabis for research. Standardized marijuana cigarettes or otherwise for research.\u201d<\/p>\n For years, ElSohly said, federal research cannabis maxed out at about 6 percent THC. The relatively low potency by today\u2019s standards better aligned with what was available decades ago on the illicit U.S. market, and it allowed subjects in research to actually consume an entire joint; experiments suggested that even experienced smokers had trouble finishing \u201cmarijuana cigarettes\u201d of higher potency.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that we\u2019ve moved into the legal market and dispensaries and people are using higher potency,\u201d he said, \u201call of the investigators became more interested in buying those higher-potency materials.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt really has nothing to do with our ability to produce that type of material, the high potency material\u2014it was the need,\u201d the researcher continued. \u201cWas there a need for this material to be there on a large scale? No, there wasn\u2019t. Now there is a need.\u201d<\/p>\n Chemical profiles of \u03949-THC dominant cannabis chemotypes produced at the University of Mississippi for the NIDA-DSP. ElSohly et al. \/ Frontiers in Public Health<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Today, ElSohly said, \u201cwe are in the process of making some cigarettes right now at the 10 percent, 15 percent, and 20 percent or 25 percent, just to be there in the program in case somebody wants to buy.\u201d<\/p>\n In the immediate aftermath of the 2017 criticism of NIDA-supplied cannabis, the agency said<\/a> it planned to produce \u201csome additional marijuana this year and harvest some high THC material that will likely be above 13 percent THC.\u201d<\/p>\n So far, however, \u201cwe haven\u2019t really had many takers,\u201d ElSohly told Marijuana Moment. \u201cSomebody, maybe three, four years ago, really wanted some 20 percent material before we even produced the stuff that we have now. And we made the 20 percent. We gave that investigator what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n The University of Mississippi professor said the program\u2019s adjustment mirrors what\u2019s happened in the commercial market, which has sought higher-potency cannabis flower through selective breeding and optimized growing techniques.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a change in the market, and selecting the genetics and the cultivation practices that produce high-potency material that developed over time,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have made an effort to stay with that trend of increasing.\u201d<\/p>\n He also denied that NIDA-supplied cannabis would have tested positive for mold, even back in 2017, because there was not enough moisture in the samples. In more recent years, he noted, the program has also begun irradiating cannabis to prevent microbial issues.<\/p>\n As for Sisley, the researcher on the PTSD study, ElSohly said she was \u201cvery antagonistic years ago,\u201d but is \u201cprobably one of my best advocates now.\u201d<\/p>\n When Marijuana Moment reached out to some of the researchers who loudly criticized NIDA-provided cannabis back in 2017, however, their responses suggested they were still skeptical of marijuana from the NIDA program.<\/p>\n Sisley referred questions to Rick Doblin, the study\u2019s sponsor and the founder and president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). She added that it was \u201cinteresting to see\u201d ElSohly report on the program\u2019s new higher-potency marijuana cigarettes but did not comment further.<\/p>\n Doblin, meanwhile, was direct: \u201cThe NIDA material that Sue used in our initial study was terrible quality,\u201d he said. \u201cWe plan to import cannabis from Canada for our new study.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNIDA cannabis cannot be sold commercially. Therefore it cannot be used in phase 3 studies where you need to use the same drug that might be approved for marketing,\u201d he wrote in an email. \u201cThat\u2019s a major reason we needed to end the NIDA monopoly. Our new study is phase 2 but we want to use cannabis we can use in phase 3 if our study is promising.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Betty Aldworth, MAPS\u2019s director of communications and post-prohibition strategy, noted that the new potencies mentioned by ElSohly of up to 25 percent THC didn\u2019t appear to be listed on a NIDA website<\/a> about cannabis available through its Drug Supply Program. That website, however, was last updated in 2016.<\/p>\n A NIDA spokesperson provided the following statement to Marijuana Moment:<\/p>\n \u201cMarijuana products produced under NIDA\u2019s contract with the University of Mississippi are available in a variety of cannabinoid content specifications. Through this contract, bulk plant material with THC content higher than 10% (categorized as \u201cvery high THC varieties\u201d) can be made available for research. This includes plant material containing 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% THC. Researchers who are interested in obtaining cannabis and cannabis products for research may contact the NIDA Drug Supply Program to inquire about specific product needs and availability.\u201d<\/p>\n The spokesperson linked to a web page about NIDA\u2019s contract<\/a> with the University of Mississippi but did not immediately reply to a response from Marijuana Moment noting that the page does not mention higher-potency products and was last updated in April 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cThe contract is a base 1-year contract with four 1-year options,\u201d the page says. \u201cHowever, it has been extended until March 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n In a follow-up interview, ElSohly said he didn\u2019t have control over what\u2019s listed on the NIDA DSP website but insisted that marijuana with up to 25 percent THC could be ordered by researchers through the program.<\/p>\n \u201cNinety-plus or more percent of the researchers, they really appreciate what we do. They are very happy with what we provide them,\u201d he said. While he acknowledged past criticism from Sisley and MAPS, he said the program has moved past those issues.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all water under the bridge for the past six or seven years,\u201d ElSohly said.<\/p>\n Separately, NIDA recently put out a new request for proposals seeking contractors capable of rolling tens of thousands of joints for federally approved research purposes<\/a>.<\/p>\n The agency said at the time that demand for cannabis products \u201cgrew significantly\u201d in recent years, in large part due to \u201crapidly expanding research efforts in the area of drug abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n THC and CBD levels in the sample orders included in that request were notably below what they are in most commercially available products in state-legal cannabis markets\u2014even according to ElSohly and his team\u2019s newly published research. \u201cLow\u201d THC levels in the examples ranged from 1.0 percent to 2.5 percent THC, and \u201chigh\u201d levels ranging from 3.5 percent to 5 percent THC. By comparison, many adult-use products have total THC levels of 20 percent or more.<\/p>\n Federal agencies have also been calling for increased production of controlled substances like cannabis and psychedelics amid heightened demand from researchers. In September, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released new quotas for the production of Schedule I and Schedule II controlled substances for research purposes<\/a>\u2014calling for an increase in the manufacturing of the psychedelics ibogaine, psilocybin and psilocyn.<\/p>\n DEA also\u00a0proposed dramatic increases in cannabis and psychedelics production in 2022<\/a>, similarly citing research demands.<\/p>\n NIDA, for its part, sent out a separate request for proposals in 2022 seeking a contractor\u00a0to grow, harvest and analyze millions of grams of marijuana for research purposes<\/a>. The agency said it was seeking manufacturers capable of cultivating, testing and rolling joints of about four million grams of cannabis over a five-year period.<\/p>\n That same year, NIDA opened the doors to authorizing additional cannabis growers for research purposes. The agency for decades worked with the same single marijuana farm at the University of Mississippi, and scientists had long been critical about the quality of the cannabis and extracts produced at the facility.<\/p>\n In 2019, meanwhile, NIDA sent out a separate request soliciting help to\u00a0\u201cacquire, develop and produce\u201d joints for research purposes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Separately, NIDA Director Nora Volkow argued in a recent blog post published that commercial interests are driving up rates of drug use and substance misuse disorder<\/a>.<\/p>\n While she\u2019s long expressed concerns about criminalization as a policy, Volkow raised a number of complaints with the commercial marijuana market that\u2019s expanded as a result of the state-level legalization movement. And although lawmakers and health agencies have seen progress in combating the use of other legal substances, such as tobacco, she said the marijuana industry has \u201cpresented new opportunities for commercial interests to drive drug consumption across all ages and demographics.\u201d<\/p>\n Volkow has previously\u00a0recognized that data shows rates of youth marijuana use have remained stable<\/a>\u00a0despite her concerns about the potential impact of legalization, evidenced by multiple federally funded surveys, for example.<\/p>\n She\u2019s also maintained her stance that criminalization is not an effective approach to drug control and that the drug war \u201ccreated a structurally racist system\u201d<\/a>\u00a0in which Black people are treated \u201cworse\u201d than others. And she\u2019s called on the government to move \u201caway from criminalization,\u201d arguing that the country\u2019s failure to offer drug treatment to incarcerated people\u00a0only exacerbates the ongoing opioid overdose crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018Outdated\u2019 Marijuana Packaging Rules Make It \u2018Impossible\u2019 For Cannabis Industry To Be Environmentally Sustainable, Study Says<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of National Institute of Standards and Technology<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Federally Approved Research Marijuana Is \u2018Very Similar\u2019 To What\u2019s On Commercial Markets, Study Says, But Other Scientists Aren\u2019t So Sure<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A new study led by the one of the only people permitted by the U.S. government to grow marijuana for research purposes finds that cannabis available across the country is \u201cbasically the same\u201d in terms of its primary cannabinoid content. Genetics, the paper says\u2014not regional growing differences\u2014are chiefly responsible forContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":79018,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,15462],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79017"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79017"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79019,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79017\/revisions\/79019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/fpubh-12-1442522-t002-1024x301-1.jpg\")
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\nRead More: Federally Approved Research Marijuana Is \u2018Very Similar\u2019 To What\u2019s On Commercial Markets, Study Says, But Other Scientists Aren\u2019t So Sure<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"