A university press release from September 21, 2022, specified, "Based within the UK College of Medicine's Center on Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR), the center will build on cannabis research already taking place at UK and expand the profile of clinical cannabis research."
As critiques highlighting the emerging monopolies making up "Marijuana, Inc." circulate, states across the US continue to legalize medical and recreational marijuana, but not all the white stars on the flag agree about legalization in any form. In Kentucky, House bill 136, intended to legalize medical marijuana, sputtered out before reaching committee.
With House Bill 604, "The legislature is interested in having us explore the conditions for which medical cannabis might be useful, as well as the most effective dosing and route of administration for each condition," said Shanna Babalonis, Ph.D., director of the UK Cannabis Center. "The new center will allow us to expand our clinical research, particularly focusing on medical conditions that may be helped by medical cannabis."
Dr. Babalonis is an expert on the topic of medical cannabinoids. Since 2018, Dr. Babalonis has "received two NIH grants, including a two-year R21 to explore the effects of various marijuana strains on simulated driving performance and a four-year R01 to examine the interaction effects of marijuana and opioids on safety, physiological and abuse-related outcomes."
House Bill 604 also legislates the Center to cultivate cannabis genetics, with the approval of the FDA. The Center will have a twelve-member board, and in addition to research and grants, there will be public-facing events like conferences and symposiums.
