Last month, the federally funded cannabis grown by the University of Mississippi came under fire when researcher Dr. Sue Sisley unveiled unseemly pictures of the plant material.
As Sisley told PBS, this medical marijuana “didn’t resemble cannabis. It didn’t smell like cannabis.” Moreover, the cannabis failed yeast and mold tests along with a lead test.
The cannabis was eventually cleared for human consumption and utilized in Dr. Sisley’s study because she had no other options. Since Sisley’s study was subsidized by a federal grant, she had to use the cannabis provided by the University of Mississippi and could not conduct the study using medical marijuana purchased from a dispensary.
Still, the microscope focused on this cannabis resulted in countless articles criticizing the poor quality of the marijuana.
One such article, titled “Marijuana Research is Slow Going,” has now resulted in a rebuttal from the University of Mississippi’s director of the National Center for Natural Products Research, which manages the cannabis project. Piqued by the critique of the cannabis, Ikhlas Khan issued this rebuttal:
UM grows, processes and manufactures marijuana materials under the same stringent FDA Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations that apply to prescription drugs. UM’s facilities and procedures have passed numerous inspections and site visits by the FDA, DEA, and NIDA.
The marijuana project currently stocks 27 plant varieties with different cannabinoid profiles, various CBD potencies, and a wide range of THC levels. UM consistently supplies the amount and types of marijuana requested by NIDA on behalf of researchers, and develops new varieties as scientific needs change.
The University of Mississippi is committed to producing high-quality marijuana products for research, and does not create or influence policy regarding marijuana’s availability.
Ikhlas Khan
Director, National Center for Natural Products Research
University of Mississippi
Khan claims that his organization is committed to producing high-quality cannabis, however, what his organization produces for significant medical research hardly appears fit for human consumption.
credit:marijuana.com