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NEWS RELEASE
Colorado council recommends eight medical marijuana research grants for funding
Board of Health to consider recommendations Dec. 17
The state’s Medical Marijuana Scientific Advisory Council, in its meeting on Friday, chose eight research grant proposals for the Board of Health to consider at its Dec. 17 meeting. Recommended studies would examine the effectiveness of using marijuana to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Parkinson’s disease tremors, inflammatory bowel disease, complex pediatric epilepsy, palliative care for pediatric brain tumors and chronic pain.
“Colorado is leading the way in devoting significant resources to study medical marijuana, said Dr. Larry Wolk, executive director and chief medical officer at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “We hope the studies will contribute to the scientific research available about the use of marijuana in effectively treating various medical conditions.”
Last year, the General Assembly (SB14-155) established the advisory council and authorized $10 million from reserves in the medical marijuana program cash fund for “objective scientific research regarding the efficacy of marijuana and its component parts as part of medical treatment.” The Legislature set aside $1 million of the $10 million to be used for administration of the program by the department.
Each proposal is for a two- or three-year study. The Board of Health has authority to approve or disapprove the grant proposals submitted by the council. In the event of unallocated research funding, the board may direct the department and the advisory council regarding funding of additional research that meets grant requirements.
The department received 57 applications for research grants. Ten of the applications did not meet the grant requirements, and the remaining 47 were reviewed by the council.
