Cannabis and Pain Management: Filling In the Knowledge Gaps

Newswise — Charles R. Broderick, an alumnus of Harvard University and MIT, has made gifts to both alma maters to support fundamental research into the effects of cannabis on the brain and behavior.

The total gift of $9 million ($4.5 million to each institution) represents the largest donation to date to support independent research of the science of cannabinoids.

The donation will allow experts in the fields of neuroscience and biomedicine at Harvard Medical School and MIT to conduct research that may ultimately help unravel the biology of cannabinoids, illuminate their effects on the human brain, catalyze treatments, and inform evidence-based clinical guidelines, social policies and the regulation of cannabis.

With the increasing use of cannabis both for medicinal and recreational purposes, there is a growing concern about critical gaps in knowledge.

In 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine issued a report calling upon philanthropic organizations, private companies, public agencies and others to develop a “comprehensive evidence base” on the short- and long-term health effects—both beneficial and harmful—of cannabis use.

“Our desire is to fill the research void that currently exists in the science of cannabis,” said Broderick, who was an early investor in Canada’s medical marijuana market.

Broderick is the...

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