Large-Scale Cannabis Research to Be Conducted in California

A Colombian cannabis company will provide a free shipment of cannabis to the United States valued at $25 million. The cannabis will be used for research commissioned by scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and nonprofit organizations.

Clever Leaves Greenhouses in Colombia

Clever Leaves, the largest cannabis producer in Colombia, owns 18 greenhouses with a total cultivation area of 17 hectares. The company plans to bring at least $25 million worth of cannabis to the U.S. to supply local researchers. This shipment will consist of either 250,000 bottles of pharmaceutical-grade THC oil or 5 tons of cannabis flowers.

Collaboration with BRC in California

The recipient of the shipment will be the California-based cannabis company BRC, which last month became one of the first private companies to receive a DEA license allowing it to supply cannabis for research purposes. Previously, the only legal supplier of cannabis for American researchers was the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi.

Research Requests and Expert Review

Both companies are currently collecting research requests from universities, pharmaceutical companies, and nonprofit organizations interested in the therapeutic potential of cannabis. An expert panel, which includes doctors and professors from Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, UCLA, and others, will review the applications. The final research plan has not yet been approved, but according to a press release from Clever Leaves, the initial focus will be on sequencing the DNA of various cannabis strains.

Intellectual Property and Future Benefits

Although the cannabis is being provided free of charge, Clever Leaves will receive a share of any intellectual property developed as a result of the research. If new medicines or technologies are created based on these studies, the company will be able to profit from their sale.