University of the West Indies Granted Research and Development License by Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority

by Shamar Blunte

The Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority (BMCLA) has formally granted the University of the West Indies (UWI) its first research and development licence to turn marijuana into new products.

In a brief ceremony on Friday at the UWI at Cave Hill, representatives from the drug industry, the authority, and the university joined together to mark the beginning of research opportunities now available here for medical cannabis development.

“This research and development licence will allow the university to conduct experiments and testing as it relates to every form and derivative of cannabis, including live plants, fresh dried material, seeds, oils, wax, you name it,” said Shanika Roberts-Odle, the BMCLA’s acting chief executive officer. “The University of the West Indies can go ahead to [engage in] research and development on [those] particular aspects. With that licence also comes a complimentary import and export licence that allows and facilitates them to get in-depth with what they are doing.”

Pharmacologist Dr Damian Cohall, the deputy dean of UWI’s medical sciences faculty, has been an advocate for medicinal cannabis and other herbs for the treatment of communicable and non-communicable diseases. With the licence, the UWI gains access to the lucrative and innovative medicinal cannabis industry, which is rapidly expanding globally, he declared.

“The newly issued cannabis research and development licence provides an excellent opportunity for the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill to have better alignment with a growing and transformative industry in Barbados, wider Caribbean and globally,” said Dr Cohall, an expert on the science behind the Caribbean’s medicinal herbs.

“The current scope of this licence allows the UWI to pursue drug discovery and other important pharmacological research on cannabinoid compounds, inclusive of the phytocannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids, endocannabinoids, and other related phytochemicals from the cannabis plant.

“These research opportunities are endless within our current research facilities which include over 2 000 square feet of generalised bench research area, a cell culture laboratory and animal testing facilities. So we are primed for drug discovery,” he added.

While declaring that the occasion was a cause for celebration, Dr Cohall stressed that in its future research plans, the university had a right to conduct its work in a socially responsible way.

“The university is the first entity to receive a cannabis research and development licence in Barbados and will therefore have first-mover advantage in the medicinal cannabis industry, which thrives on science and innovation,” he told the gathering. “As we welcome this development and the ascribed benefits, we remain sober of the social inequities surrounding the use of cannabis and will take an inclusive and socially accountable approach in our research endeavours.”

Among early medicinal cannabis projects the Faculty of Medical Sciences has identified is research on the cardiometabolic syndrome – a cluster of metabolic risk factors that increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, according to the UWI. Researchers also plan to investigate how cannabis-based products can affect diseases of the central nervous system, like epilepsy.

The university is banking on research leading to groundbreaking treatments for chronic non-communicable diseases and neurodegenerative conditions that are at epidemic proportions throughout the Caribbean, according to Dr Cohall.

“The benefits are endless as these medicinal interventions can create wealth and health opportunities impacting the quality of life of Barbadians who can benefit directly and indirectly via an upward trend in the country’s gross domestic product,” he added.

Joining in the celebration of the BMCLA partnership, Professor Clive Landis, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Cave Hill Campus, said: “Research and development is at the heart of the UWI. Our ranking as a top-tier university, according to Times Higher Education, is driven largely by our strong published academic research. A recent focus under the new Cave Hill strategy is to translate this research excellence into tangible value for society and value for the university itself through entrepreneurial activity. We have encapsulated the campus strategy under the theme, Creating Value From Our Ideas.”

The principal said getting the cannabis research and development licence from the BMCLA “fits perfectly” with that strategy “since cannabis research is an applied research field, with medical benefits accruing to society and entrepreneurial opportunities to the university”.

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