Federal policymakers are looking to fund research into the effects cannabis can have on cancer.
Earlier this month the National Institute of Health published a Notice of Special Interest. “This Notice invites research applications that examine the mechanistic actions of cannabis and cannabinoids in cancer biology, cancer interception, cancer treatment and resistance, and management of cancer symptoms,” wrote the institute.
According to the notice, around 25 percent of cancer patients have used cannabis to treat symptoms associated with cancer including anorexia, nausea and pain.
Cannabis advocates have long claimed that cannabis can delay cancer cell development or even shrink cancer cells. While there has been some evidence for this, the research pool on the topic is too small to determine anything conclusively. “Epidemiological studies of cannabis use and cancer risk have yielded limited and inconsistent results,” wrote the agency.
Producer to Donate to Fire Evacuees
A New Mexico cannabis company has announced that it will be donating some of its revenue to residents who were forced to flee their homes due to the devastating fires in northern New Mexico.
According to the Albuquerque Journal New Mexico cannabis producer Seven Point Farms says it will donate 50 percent of its Albuquerque dispensary’s May revenue to the Las Vegas Community Foundation to help those affected by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. The company will also donate 10 percent of its Socorro and Cedar Crest dispensaries’ revenues to evacuees.
“It was kind of a no-brainer,” Seven Point Farms executive director Robert Jackson told reporters. “We’re in a really good place and Seven Point Farms is really passionate about being part of the community.”
Lawmakers Press for Psychedelics Research Review
Two senators are asking federal officials to release an update on research into psychedelic drugs for therapeutic purposes.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) recently sent a letter to the NIH and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting updates in a number of areas related to the study of psychedelic drugs.
The senators asked for updates on current NIH funding of research, confirmation on whether NIH is reviewing psychedelic studies conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) between 1959 and 1965, identification of the current gaps in psychedelic research, the current status of collaboration between FDA, NIH, NIH-funded researchers and the private sector on research into psychedelics and identification of the current barriers to psychedelic research.
“NIH and FDA are critical to ensuring a comprehensive, rigorous, and deliberative science-based approach to the study of psychedelics, including the potential development of medication and therapeutics derived from these substances,” wrote the senators.