Canada's Cannmart leads the charge for more clinical research coming out of international symposium in Italy
International Cannabinoid Research Society Symposium brings together leaders in medical marijuana field from around the world
TORONTO, July 7, 2014 /CNW/ - The recent International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) Symposium, which draws medical researchers from around the world, shone a light on the need for clinical research and the importance of jurisdictions such as Canada in the development of cannabis-based medical products to minimize suffering, treat disease and improve health, says a Canadian expert on medical marijuana.
"Canada is one of the few countries in the world that allows marijuana for medical prescription use on a national basis. This gives us a real opportunity to become a world leader in clinical research in this field," said Umar Syed, President of Cannmart, a Toronto-based company awaiting approval to become a Licensed Producer of medical marijuana under the Government of Canada's new Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR).
Cannmart was among dozens of companies and academic institutions that attended the four-day ICRS symposium last week near Milan, Italy. The annual academic symposium allows leading medical researchers from around the world to share scientific and medical benefits of cannabinoids, the active ingredients produced by the cannabis plant, and other related compounds.
Syed said that the latest findings presented at the research symposium were timely, given regulatory changes introduced last spring in Canada, under which any number of medical marijuana (cannabis) strains can be grown and distributed by licensed producers approved by the Government of Canada rather than by Health Canada itself.
"As more licensed producers are approved by the government to produce and distribute marijuana for medical purposes, we have the rare opportunity to create strong partnerships between like-minded companies, academic institutions and various government agencies to undertake invaluable clinical research in this area," Syed said. "We need to pool our resources so that we can build on the existing pre-clinical work on cannabinoids with more relevant human clinical studies in order to help patients in need with innovative cannabis products. Information generated by these studies will also help healthcare professionals make better decisions for their patients."
Cannmart is currently going through approvals process to become licensed by Health Canada to produce and distribute medical marijuana.
"We are proposing a novel approach by working with other licensed producers across the country to best serve patients and physicians," said Syed. "While our partnered producers focus on producing the best quality cannabis, we will focus our efforts on research and education to ensure medical practitioners and patients understand the safe and effective use of a wide variety of medical cannabis strains."
About Cannmart:
Cannmart's philosophy is to focus on customers and their needs. Our company employs healthcare professionals to provide advice to patients and their prescribers about proper use of medical cannabis, the various strains available, and the available scientific evidence on cannabinoids and their usage. Find us online at cannmart.com.
SOURCE: Cannmart
Daniel Stern
Chief Executive Officer
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