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
1999 IOM Report
Gary Robbins, San Diego Union Tribune, October 10, 2018
Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals of San Diego has begun using a marijuana-derived therapy to experimentally treat small numbers of people who suffer from multiple sclerosis and scleroderma, a pair of autoimmune diseases.
The small, phase 1 safety trial involves CBD, a compound found in marijuana. CBD has caught the attention of researchers because it does not get people high, and it has anti-inflammatory properties.
The trial is meant to determine whether the therapy is safe, what dose should be used, and if there are any side effects or related problems.
Emerald Health says it also is developing another non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana — CBG — for possible use in treating patients with Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
UC San Diego is preparing to use CBD in a clinical trial that’s meant to people who suffer from epilepsy.
Gary Robbins, San Diego Union Tribune, October 2, 2018
Scientists and patients who've long held that marijuana can be used to treat illness and disease are finally getting some backing from the federal government.
The Drug Enforcement Agency currently lists marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning that it has no known medical use and a high potential for abuse.
But in a very narrow ruling, the DEA recently said that patients who suffer from two specific types of epilepsy could benefit from taking Epidiolex, a new anti-seizure medication derived from marijuana.
Epidiolex largely consists of cannabidiol, or CBD, a compound in cannabis that does not get people high.
The DEA decided to classify Epidiolex as a Schedule 5 drug, which would rank it with cough medicines.
The move has caused some confusion. The Union-Tribune sought clarity from Dr. Igor Grant, a psychiatrist who helps lead UC San Diego's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research.
Press Release, UC San Diego Health, September 18, 2018
Researchers at University of California School of Medicine are preparing to launch a novel clinical trial to examine the safety, efficacy and pharmacological properties of cannabis as a potential treatment for adults with essential tremor (ET). Currently, ET is treated using repurposed medications originally developed for high blood pressure or seizures. Surgery is another option.
Scheduled for early 2019, the phase I/II trial will assess efficacy and tolerability of an oral cannabis formulation comprised of cannabidiol (CBD) and low-dose tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Researchers say it will be the first time this combination has been studied for treatment of ET.
“This study will provide key insights,” said Fatta Nahab, MD, neurologist at UC San Diego Health and associate professor of neurosciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “If found to be safe and effective, cannabis would not only serve as an exciting new addition to the limited treatment options currently available for patients with ET, but it might also provide scientists with new insights on essential tremor.”
Read the full press release here
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
Igor Grant, MD
Introduction/Overview
CMCR Symposium, June 2018
Daniele Piomelli, MD, PhD, PharmD
The health impact of cannabis
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
Ryan Vandrey, PhD
What's in real-world cannabis?
CMCR Symposium, June 2018