After more than a year of working to provide patients with therapeutic marijuana, LSU AgCenter has finalized its contract with GB Sciences to produce medical marijuana for qualifying patients in Louisiana.
GB Sciences is a cannabis company focused on biopharmaceutical development. It has filed patent applications for using cannabis for chronic pain and heart therapies, as well as chronic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma, according to a news release.
The Alison Neustrom Act, passed in 2015, does not allow any marijuana product to be prescribed for “inhalation and raw or crude … for therapeutic use.” It will be limited to oils; oral methods such as pills, sprays or chewables; topical applications; transdermal patches and suppositories, according to a news release.
“No medical marijuana may be dispensed from, produced from, obtained from, sold to, or transferred to a location outside of this state,” according to the Act. The Act also requires that levels of THC in any marijuana produced be reduced to the lowest acceptable levels available through scientifically accepted methods.
Ashley Mullens, AgCenter coordinator for the medical marijuana initiative, said one of the goals of this program is to educate doctors on the benefits of medical marijuana.
“We do have plans to do an educational program with our partner, GB Sciences,” Mullens said. “We’re going to go across the state and train physicians on the different benefits of medical marijuana and the different formulations. We hope that we can get the word out and raise awareness about the program.”
The facility will have a 5,000 square-foot research lab where they plan to conduct research on the plant itself. Research for the project will likely include variety development, growth management practices, extraction techniques, compound identification and isolation, drug delivery methods and efficacy testing Mullens said.
“The AgCenter is excited about the possibilities of research,” Mullens said. “In our minds, and GB Sciences’ also, research is important. We’re looking forward to putting some science behind the field because a lot of what’s out there is hearsay.”
LSU Vice President for Agriculture William B. Richardson, Associate Professor Ted Gauthier and vice president for agriculture Hampton Grunewald will work closely with Mullens on this project, along with many others.
“The goal is not only supplying the patients with what they need, but supplying them with a consistent product that we know,” Mullens said. “Because of the data that we collect and the reputation that the AgCenter has, they are getting a good, consistent product.”
As a public institution of higher education, the LSU AgCenter’s partnership with GB Sciences represents a first in the medical cannabis industry, according to a news release.
The AgCenter hopes to have plants growing by the beginning of next year and product available by summer of 2018. No taxpayer dollars will be spent on this project.
“We are extremely honored and excited to be working with LSU on this project,” said John Poss, chairman and CEO of GB Sciences in a news release. “This is another major step in taking cannabis out of the shadows and into the university research labs, where it has always rightfully belonged. This is a historic event, and we can’t wait to get started.”