Dr. Mark Ware has devoted the past 20 years of his career to studying marijuana, and he can remember some 91裸聊视频渄ark, lean91裸聊视频� periods when he had to fight for meagre funding.

91裸聊视频淭here were times when I was told you couldn91裸聊视频檛 even use 91裸聊视频榗annabis91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频榬esearch91裸聊视频� in the same sentence,91裸聊视频� he recalled.

Now, Ware is the chief medical officer of one of Canada91裸聊视频檚 largest pot companies, Canopy Growth Corp., which is conducting millions of dollars worth of research on the use of cannabis to treat conditions including anxiety, insomnia and pain.

READ MORE:

Legalization has sparked a boom in pot research, generating funding, jobs and the need for laboratory space. In the past, companies had little incentive to study an illicit substance, now they91裸聊视频檙e racing to create new products and prove their benefits.

Ware, also an associate professor of family medicine and anaesthesia at McGill University, said there have been brief funding windows over the years. When Canada legalized medical marijuana in the early 2000s, there was a flurry of interest, he said.

He said the current boom started in 2014 after the former Conservative government brought in legislation that established a commercial industry for medical marijuana. Companies have also been anticipating the legalization of recreational weed since the Liberal government came to power in 2015.

Canada is now poised to become a research leader, he said, after it became the first G7 nation to legalize recreational cannabis on Oct. 17. Pot companies are rapidly expanding and have a 91裸聊视频渢remendous need91裸聊视频� for qualified staff, including scientists and researchers, he said.

The federal government is investing in marijuana research too. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research announced $1.4 million in funding for 14 pot-related projects last January, and it helped launch a $3-million grant opportunity in July.

91裸聊视频淲hat, I think, really is changing is the number of people who are now ready to apply for those funds and are interested in doing this research,91裸聊视频� Ware said.

91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 not so much a factor of regulation or funding. It91裸聊视频檚 actually, I think, the stigma around cannabis has changed, and people are beginning to see that there is a credible reason for looking at medical cannabis seriously.91裸聊视频�

Vancouver91裸聊视频檚 new mayor, Kennedy Stewart, is paying attention. He said the research and development potential of marijuana is 91裸聊视频渆normous91裸聊视频� and he wants to establish the city as a hub for that part of the industry.

91裸聊视频淭he stock market91裸聊视频檚 gone crazy with all these new companies and what they want to do is develop new products,91裸聊视频� Stewart said in an interview in November, shortly after being elected.

91裸聊视频淭he signal I want to send is that this is the place to bring your R&D money. To turn it from hippies on street corners to people in lab coats is really the image I would like to see.91裸聊视频�

The University of British Columbia has already launched a new professorship to study the potential of marijuana to treat opioid addiction. The school selected epidemiologist M-J Milloy to be the Canopy Growth professor of cannabis science.

Canopy contributed $2.5 million, while the province paid $500,000 to UBC and the BC Centre on Substance Use for the position.

Prohibition not only limited interest in research over the years 91裸聊视频� it also created logistical headaches for those who wanted to study the drug. Researchers had to apply for an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which was sometimes difficult to get.

New regulations now require scientists to obtain a licence to conduct testing or research on cannabis.

READ MORE: 2 Vancouver businesses open city91裸聊视频檚 first legal pot shops

Thomas Kerr, a research scientist with the BC Centre on Substance Use, argued that cultural forces have also restricted research, including an 91裸聊视频渙verwhelming focus91裸聊视频� on the negative aspects of cannabis rather than the benefits.

91裸聊视频淪o what we have is a history of research that91裸聊视频檚 very pathologizing and unbalanced,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭he hope is through legalization and increased access to medicinal cannabis, we can begin to look at some of the other side of the coin.91裸聊视频�

Kerr said there is a lack of rigorous research on the effects of cannabis on adolescent cognitive development. Researchers also need to continue to explore whether there91裸聊视频檚 a role for cannabis in reducing opioid overdose deaths, he said.

Marijuana companies have recently stepped up to fund research and do their own studies, which is a good thing as long as industry interests don91裸聊视频檛 compromise quality, Kerr noted.

91裸聊视频淲e just need to make sure that there are appropriate safeguards in place, that researchers have sufficient independence and are able to conduct their research and produce results 91裸聊视频� including those that may not be favourable to industry.91裸聊视频�

Laura Kane, The Canadian Press

Like us on and follow us on .