University of Calgary fires up joint study

Pot grower to aid in cannabis research

It’s a joint study that could provide groundbreaking research into the full benefits of medical cannabis.

Olds-based Sundial Growers Inc. announced this week that it would enter a collaborative research partnership with the Cumming School of Medicine’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary to conduct clinical studies of cannabis with an eye to future medical applications.

It’s an opportunity that researchers at one of the world’s foremost neurological research centres have not had before Canada loosened its laws around medical and recreational cannabis. The change will allow a steady supply of clean, high-quality marijuana to ensure research isn’t tainted by impurities or irregularities.

Keith Sharkey, director of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, said it’s clear there are many potential medical applications for cannabis but, given the lack of quality supply in the past, there’s not a deep track record of rigorous research into how it can be best used.

“High-quality cannabis is absolutely crucial to the integrity of the research,” he said. “Cannabis has been used medicinally for hundreds of years in a variety of ways. But, at the same time, there’s been relatively few studies looking at cannabis. To be quite honest, we don’t know what the right plant is for the right medical condition.”

Under the three-year agreement, researchers at the school will work with Sundial to determine which clinical studies will best meet the strategic goals of both organizations, while also looking to establish research chairs and trainee sponsorships for specific research projects.

Geoff Thompson, Sundial’s president and a university alumnus, said as the field of medical marijuana is expected see significant growth alongside a boom in growers trying to cash in on its legalization, there are opportunities to direct that research to where it will do the most good.

“Cannabis affects the body to a major degree through the brain, so it was a natural fit,” he said.

“The cannabis industry in Canada has been fuelled by illegal sources for many years, but there was no traceability with any of it. How can you do research if you don’t know what’s in that strain?”

Ultimately, Thompson said, the goal is to determine how to produce the correct strains of cannabis plants to treat specific conditions, which could expand the plant’s uses well beyond its more well-known applications, such as anxiety relief and pain management. However, he noted Sundial — based out of a 31,000-squarefoot production facility near Olds — and the university have just entered preliminary discussions on potential research avenues, so initial areas of focus haven’t been determined. Thomson said the potential applications for research could have global implications, and he expects that the partnership with the university will likely continue beyond the original term.

“We’re going to places where we’re going to have an international impact,” he said.