Introducing the Resource Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research (R3CR)

While individual states began recognizing medical cannabis in 1996, researching the medicinal value in the United States was extremely difficult. Even now when 41 states and Washington D.C. have approved medical cannabis, at the federal level cannabis remains a scheduled substance. This complicates and hinders a lot of research at major Universities who receive most of their scientific research funding from the federal government. Recently there has been a push to prioritize more cannabis research, especially for therapeutic benefits. The National Institute of Health (NIH) has funded the creation of a research center designed to help change this landscape and make cannabis research more accessible.

This year the Resource Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research (R3CR) was launched as the first official research center focused specifically on cannabis. The center is a collaboration between Washington State University, the University of Mississippi, and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). The R3CR represents a shift in building research infrastructure that will serve as a foundation for integrating cannabis into existing pathways for research that are otherwise inaccessible to those outside the standard academic framework.

The purpose of the R3CR is to provide researchers with a central hub of information that will reduce barriers to navigating the regulations around researching cannabis. Earlier this year, the R3CR funded 7 seed funding grant recipients specifically to develop administrative and institutional support for more cannabis research. The current request for applications is LIVE (click here for more information). The R3CR also provides regulatory guidance and research standards for sourcing materials that are compliant. As the legal landscape continues to change for cannabis research, the R3CR will help clarify and disseminate important information for researchers to consider when they are planning their proposals and projects.

There is still so much for us to discover about cannabis and how it can be optimized for specific needs. We need research that reflects the diversity of cannabis products that are on the market, we need a better understanding of dose and method of administration for individuals, and we need to connect laboratory findings to what the millions of consumers are actually experiencing. This center won’t solve all the problems immediately, but it’s a big step in the right direction for cannabis research to become more integrated. 

NAP is excited to be collaborating with the R3CR to help amplify this access to resources, opportunities, and research infrastructure for the next generation of cannabis science. We see this partnership as an opportunity to strengthen the connection between the lived experience of medical patients and the results in the laboratory that will help build better quality, safety, and regulatory practices for cannabis. Community knowledge and participation in rigorous cannabis scientific research will accelerate important findings and expand