The purpose of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research is to coordinate rigorous scientific studies to assess the safety and efficacy of cannabis and cannabis compounds for treating medical conditions.
2017 National Academies Report
CMCR Legislative Report
2000 IOM Report
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects an estimated 1 in 68 children in the United States, yet treatment options are limited. Could cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis, hold clues for developing effective therapies? Thanks to a major gift from the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation, researchers at the University of California San Diego will embark on a multidisciplinary study to investigate the potential of cannabidiol as a treatment for severe autism. The award was given in partnership with and based on recommendations the Noorda Foundation received from the Wholistic Research and Education Foundation.
The $4.7 million gift to the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) at UC San Diego School of Medicine is the largest private gift to date for medicinal cannabis research in the United States. The funding will support translational research to investigate whether medicinal cannabinoid therapies can alleviate symptoms in children with severe autism—and if so, how. The groundbreaking study spans clinical, basic science, advanced mathematics and genetic techniques across the same cohort of patients, offering a comprehensive and systematic exploration of CBD efficacy on autism.
Click here for more information about the study
Serena Gordon, HealthDay, July 5, 2018
Seniors are giving rave reviews for medical marijuana.
In a new survey, those who turned to it for treating chronic pain reported it reduced pain and decreased the need for opioid painkillers.
Nine out of 10 liked it so much they said they'd recommend medical pot to others.
"I was on Percocet and replaced it with medical marijuana. Thank you, thank you, thank you," said one senior.
Another patient put it this way: "It [medical marijuana] is extremely effective and has allowed me to function in my work and life again. It has not completely taken away the pain, but allows me to manage it."
Laurie McGinley, The Washington Post, June 23, 2018
At 3 months old, Marissa Parsons began having frequent seizures, some lasting a half-hour. For almost two decades, her desperate parents tried drug after drug to treat her rare type of childhood epilepsy, but the medications mostly produced side effects — pancreatitis, hives and extreme drowsiness — and she was frequently hospitalized. Family outings became almost impossible. Eventually, her mother said, Marissa stopped smiling.
Three years ago, Marissa was enrolled in a clinical trial at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, testing a liquid anti-seizure drug made from a component of marijuana. Marissa, who cannot speak and uses a wheelchair, quickly went from eight seizures a day to half that number; these days, the 21-year-old has some weeks in which she doesn't have any seizures. She routinely goes to her sisters' baseball games and band concerts. In 2016, she and her family visited Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon. Plus, she's smiling again.
Voice of San Diego, June 15, 2018
In the second half of the show, UC San Diego professor Thomas Marcotte talks with Marx about his cannabis research, including a study looking at the effects of marijuana on driving.
Listen to the podcast (Interview with Dr. Marcotte begins at 30:22)
Igor Grant, MD
Introduction/Overview
CMCR Symposium, June 2018
Ziva Cooper, PhD
Therapeutic potential of cannabis for pain alone and as an adjunct to opioids
CMCR Symposium, June 2018
Iain McGregor, PhD
Medicinal cannabis research down under: Introducing the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics
CMCR Symposium, June 2018
Thomas Marcotte, PhD
Cannabis and public safety: The challenge of cannabis-impaired driving
CMCR Symposium, June 2018
Alan Budney, PhD
Medicinal cannabis / legalization and the development of cannabis use problems
CMCR Symposium, June 2018