Cannabis institute aims high in first year

With over $1 million in funding for the year, Colorado State University — Pueblo’s Institute of Cannabis Research wants a productive first year to show it can be an academic force.

By Zahria Rogers

A little over a year ago, Colorado State University Institute of Cannabis Research was nothing more than a fledgling proposal. Now, faculty and staff of the university are moving swiftly to solidify a plan of action for the coming years and prepare for a first of its kind cannabis conference slated to take place at the end of April.

Jennifer Mullen, the interim managing director of the ICR and former CSU-Pueblo mass communications professor, said the project is still in its developmental phase.

“What we’re working on right now is the vision,” she said in a phone interview. Mullen is the coordinator of the steering committee and facilitates a relationship between ICR and external partnerships.

She explained that the institute’s steering committee is still determining long-term research goals of the institute, but knows it is seeking to provide a platform for unbiased and objective cannabis research.

“Our goal is to ask the kinds of questions that everyone is asking in society,” Mullen stated.

One facet of the institute’s mission is to “advance knowledge and understanding” about cannabis, in addition to promoting “the sound ethical/legal and socially-responsible utilization of cannabis,” according to the institute’s December 2015 proposal.

The ICR’s website lists several current multidisciplinary research studies on cannabis, which are state and county funded. For instance, one psychological study examines the effects of cannabinoids on adults with epilepsy. Another business study analyzes job growth in Pueblo as a result of the marijuana industry.

Mullen took the time to mention that the type of cannabis being studied is not high in THC, which is the ingredient that causes psychoactive effects in users. Instead, researchers are primarily studying cannabis that is high in CBD, a non-psychoactive component in cannabis. Mullen said a “small number of hemp plants” are growing on CSU-Pueblo’s campus.

In order to grow plants that are high in THC, the university would have to apply for a Drug Enforcement Administration Schedule 1 license. Whether or not this will happen is up to the researchers, or “principal investigators,” and the direction they wish to take.

Another section of the ICR’s vision is funding. Through legislature and Pueblo County, CSU-Pueblo was granted over $1.1 million to conduct research in 2017. However, much of the funding will be depleted after this year’s studies are complete, leaving the ICR’s steering committee to find alternative ways to finance future projects.

“That will likely come in the form of grants that we will apply for to do the research from corporations and foundations. We may also conduct research for others and will have a fee-for service model in which they will pay us to do research for them,” Mullen said in an email. If these business models succeed, then the institute will not have to rely on as much state and county funding.

Mullen expressed the importance of developing external relationships. The interim director said she could not disclose any potential partners, but said there are people, independent research laboratories or government agencies, specifically, who are interested in helping the ICR reach its research and program needs.

According to a statement on the ICR’s website, President Lesley di Mare said research will be conducted in collaboration with the Department of Public Health and Environment; the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Public Safety, and the Colorado Energy Office in the Governor’s Office.

Even though the program is still a ways away from achieving its goals, Mullen said progress has gone “remarkably well.” She said the steering is extremely dedicated, meeting weekly to discuss the future of the institute.

She wanted to make students aware of upcoming opportunities. She hinted at the possibility of a cannabis studies minor for students in Fall 2017, the courses for which are still yet to be determined. Students wishing to help with research will have to consult the principal investigators in order to be approved.

Students and members of the community who desire to learn more about the ICR can also attend the national conference from April 28–30, 2017. The conference will bring CSU-Pueblo its first post-doctoral researchers. During the event, some researchers will give progress reports about their studies and which will not be completed until the end of 2017.

The cost of attendance is $150 for faculty members who are not researchers, $350 for community members and $75 for students.