$500,000 will go to increase marijuana research
Louisiana State University (LSU) has developed a marijuana research program that it hopes will lead the way in better defining the marijuana industry. It contracted GB Sciences Louisiana to cultivate the supply for the program and the company has announced that its cultivation center is now in full swing with LSU’s Agricultural Center. In addition, GB Sciences has issued the center its first annual research grant worth $500,000.
The money will be sued to study the use of marijuana and hemp extracts in order to treat epilepsy. The cultivation center follows two “proof of concept” facilities previously created in order to prove that the company could meet Louisiana’s requirements for medical marijuana.
GB Sciences spokeswoman Liz Bianco indicates that the company expects to have the first medical marijuana products on dispensary shelves in the state by May. However, before that can happen, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry has to approve the final products before they can make their way to the nine dispensaries. This could cause delays in the distribution timeline.
The $500,000 grant was provided to Chris Green of the Agricultural Center. The researcher is studying cannabidiol (CBD) oil in the treatment of epilepsy. Green began a project using zebrafish to test CBD oil, a viable solution as the fish don’t need much CBD and they have the same receptors in their brains as do humans.
Eventually, GB Sciences hopes to get involved with other research, such as cancer, Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis. It wants to move into a larger facility to allow expanded research and has already chosen a former Pepsi distribution center in Baton Rouge as the new home. That facility is five times larger than its current location.