Cannabis research at CSU-Pueblo, what it is and isn’t
There’s a difference in the terms ‘cannabis’ and ‘marijuana,’ ICR director says.
The Institute of Cannabis Research at CSU-Pueblo wants to be clear. It is studying the plant — cannabis — and all of its scientific parts.
At a gathering for newly-founded community group PROPuebloCO in April, one businessman said he was disappointed in the first conference ICR was hosting because the featured speakers all seemed to be “pro-marijuana.”
When ICR interim director Jenn Mullen was asked after the meeting for a reaction to the comment she replied, “We study cannabis, not marijuana.”
But aren’t they the same?
Mullen, who was a professor, CSU-Pueblo department chair and worked under university president Lesley Di Mare, says no. The two words mean different things.
This is an interview with Mullen about that difference and what it means for research at the CSU-Pueblo institute.
ICR hosted “Cannabis Experts Take Center State: From the Margins to the Mainstream,” that featured researchers and experts from across the country and the world in late April.
Q: What’s the difference between cannabis research and marijuana research?
A: The word cannabis is the scientific term for the plant. The word marijuana has a cultural and historical context for why the cannabis plant is referred to as marijuana. The Institute of Cannabis Research is so named because its mission is science and education, hence the scientific name “cannabis” is used.
Q: Can ‘cannabis’ research be more helpful than ‘marijuana’ research?
A: I can only speak for the cannabis research we conduct at CSU-Pueblo through the ICR. I can’t speak to other research that exists that may refer to the plant as marijuana.
Q: People use the two terms interchangeably, should they?
A: That is a culturally based question and I don’t feel qualified to give an opinion.
Q: CSU-Pueblo doesn’t actually grow any marijuana, but it does grow hemp. How does growing hemp at CSU-Pueblo help with cannabis research?
A: We are growing hemp, which is by law under .3 percent THC, to work on genomic testing, and a CBD extraction process.
High THC cannabis means it is high in the drug that produces the psychoactive effect. Cannabis that is low in THC and high in CBD (no psychoactive effect) can be studied for its role in medicinal uses. The only cannabis that the ICR is testing is high CBD and hemp. We cannot by law possess cannabis with a higher concentration than .3 percent THC.
Q:What are your main goals for the newly founded institute of cannabis research in 2017?
A: To expand on what has already been started.
To expand on the research to include types of studies and technology/laboratory infrastructure, to strengthen the ICR administrative and governing structure, to be open to potential scientific, academic, and programmatic partnerships that are a good fit for the ICR, CSU-Pueblo, and our community, and to have impact beyond Colorado through the international cannabis research conference and the Journal of Cannabis Research.
Q:What is one thing you want the public to know about cannabis research?
A: That the cannabis plant is very complex and that to be “for” or “against” cannabis is too simplistic of a perspective. Cannabis is not cannabis is not cannabis. Some believe that high THC cannabis has caused detrimental effects in a number of way, while others disagree. Some believe there are medicinal benefits to high CBD cannabis, (no psychoactive effect) some do not. Hemp (low THC, no psychoactive effect) appears to have great potential with environmental uses. It could someday potentially be used in composite form as a substitute for wood or plastic. Only scientific research will answer the many and diverse questions we all have about the potential benefits and potential detriments of the cannabis plant.
Kara Mason contributed to this report
