Multinational cannabis company Clever Leaves has announced US-focused research initiative Project Change Lives, and pledged up to US$25 million worth of medicinal cannabis product to help advance scientific research into the medical benefits of cannabinoids.
Clever Leaves is looking to supply up to 250,000 bottles of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis oil or around five tons of medical cannabis flower, at no cost, to help research institutions develop new therapies.
CEO Kyle Detwiler said: “Due to legal restrictions, the US cannabis industry has faced decades of research delays on top of cannabis product shortages or lack of diversity of high-quality products.
“The industry would greatly benefit from companies such as Clever Leaves providing affordable, pharmaceutical-grade, EU GMP-certified medical cannabis for research purposes.
“In addition to clearing hurdles in research, Project Change Lives hopes to create new opportunities for the advancement of medical treatments and patient access by allowing legal cannabis ingredients and pharmaceuticals to cross borders freely,” he added.
Clever Leaves has partnered with Biopharmaceutical Research Company to import its products and plans to start working with US investigators on a research study focused on the DNA sequencing of a variety of cannabis cultivars.
The company has issued a nationwide call for proposals from researchers at universities and accredited facilities seeking medical cannabis to conduct their studies.