may harm or benefit us are finding it increasingly difficult to secure the drug for their trials, in part because struggling Canadian growers are largely focused on making a profit four years after legalization.
Last year, the federal agency relaxed some of its research rules to make it slightly easier for scientists to study the effects of cannabis on a range of ailments, but most companies are now uninterested in donating – or even selling – their products for these trials, according to the pair. The head of the licensed cannabis industry’s largest trade association agreed that this support has largely dried up as companies fight for their survival.
“Most of the time I never got a response,” Dr. Milloy told The Globe. “I didn’t ask for a handout. We were prepared to buy this at cost. Typically, drug companies give product for free, because they realize that the more research done the more it helps them.” George Smitherman, chief executive officer of national industry association the Cannabis Council of Canada, said growers have mostly stopped funding new research in recent years as they fight to survive in a highly regulated market.
This piece whitewashes industry's obstruction of research by blaming regulations, which are a big part of the story, but not the only one. We tried for years to obtain research-grade cannabis from Tilray and Canopy way before the downturn; gave up long ago
Legalization made the hurdles of researchers aquiring cannabis even harder. I truly hope psychedlics stay illegal long enough to get some decent research on them.