Medical Marijuana Research in Canada Is Going Nowhere
Research facilities in Canada are still cutting through red tape in a legal marijuana marketplace
It was said last year that Canada was poised to become a global leader in the realm of medical marijuana research. It made perfect sense, too, what with the country being one of the first to ultimately end marijuana prohibition nationwide. There would be nothing to stop the barrage of researchers all across the northern nation from rolling up their sleeves to learn more about the therapeutic powers of the cannabis plant.
It was exciting news for those of us living in the United States, especially since the federal government continues to uphold a prohibition standard. The powers that be still refuse to embrace the possibilities of cannabis and will not lighten the nation’s drug policies enough to give science a fighting chance at showing the value in weed. But as long as our friends in Canada were up there, proving to the world that cannabis is medicine, the naysayers of the nug couldn’t stand in the way of progress for much longer.
Well, so much for hope.
Come to find out, Canadian researchers haven’t even started exploring medical marijuana in any real capacity. A report from CTV News indicates that hundreds of research facilities are still too busy trying to cut through the red tape and deal with other complexities of the approval process.
Although cannabis is entirely legal in Canada, scientists there are still required to hold a license before they engage in a single study. Furthermore, the hundreds of research licenses that existed before the country went legal are being forced to transition over to the Cannabis Act. As for newcomers, well, their approval isn’t exactly happening with haste. So far, only around 65 new licenses have been approved since the country’s monumental pot law took effect in October.
Some researchers say the approval process is “so difficult” that many “don’t even try” for a license. Why all of the snags, however, is something most of them cannot wrap their heads around.
While a lot of these folks are eager to get involved in cannabis research to find out how it might benefit patients with dreadful diseases, solve the stoned driving conundrum and other unknowns, the research policies outlined in Canada’s new pot law are designed more for the industry itself.
And that has thrown a bit of a wrench in the idea of science exploring marijuana for the sake of humanity.
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