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Tweed Marijuana Inc. has taken steps to address one of the weaknesses of the new medical marijuana regime that went into effect April 1 — namely, the relative lack of research into the impact of long-term use of the drug.

The Smiths Falls company said Wednesday it recently signed a memo of understanding with the University of Ottawa and Ryerson University with a view to developing harder knowledge about medical weed.

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“With the new regulatory system in place, producers and researchers now have the stability to undertake research not possible in the past,” said Tweed CEO Chuck Rifici.

“These projects will shed insight into everything from ideal growing conditions to the very question of what makes medical marijuana an effective medicine.”

Dr. Lesley Campbell, assistant professor in the Ryerson Department of Chemistry and Biology, is examining what affects the quality of medical marijuana.

Tweed is also working with academics Cory Harris, Doug Johnson and John Arnason at the University of Ottawa to assess correlations between active ingredients in medical marijuana and strain effectiveness on selected ailments.

“There is an exceptional opportunity to really start to understand the complex effects of active ingredients in marijuana,” said University of Ottawa professor John Arnason.

“This work has the potential to open up entire new avenues of research into medical marijuana”.