The University of Louisiana at Monroe College of Pharmacy will begin testing and researching hemp and cannabis for quality, purity and further health applications. West Monroe state Representative Mike Echols says he worked to amend current medical marijuana law to allow ULM to get involved.
“They have the School of Pharmacy at ULM, the state’s only publicly-funded school of pharmacy…and so there was a real key relationship between some of the products that are being produced out there now, and the new pharmaceutical products that could be produced. We wanted ULM to have a chance to do some some research in that space,” says Echols.
Medical marijuana grown by facilities affiliated with the LSU and Southern University Ag Centers must continually be tested for consistency, potency and safety. He says increased demand for medical cannabis means more product grown…and adding ULM as an additional tester makes sense. Echols says this should not lead to any more growing operations though, “…but more distribution points to the existing pharmacies PLUS additional licenses through those pharmacies to get the product to other places in the state.”
KNOE TV in Monroe reports the research could mean additional jobs at ULM, plus over a million dollars in revenue. Echols says that sum would be just from testing existing product…:
“Now, as far as pharmaceutical research goes, if they are able to find new drugs and new potential for that particular strain then there’s is unlimited potential…”
ULM is currently seeking funding, through state and federal grants, to buy what they need to get it going.
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