The Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority (BMCLA) has officially granted the University of the West Indies (UWI) its first research and development license to transform marijuana into new goods.
Representatives from the drug industry, the authorities, and the university gathered for a brief ceremony on Friday at the UWI at Cave Hill to celebrate the start of new research prospects for medicinal cannabis development.
Speaking during the brief ceremony to mark the momentous occasion, Shanika Roberts-Odle, the BMCLA’s acting chief executive officer, said: “This research and development licence will allow the university to conduct experiments and testing as it relates to every form and derivative of cannabis, including live plants, fresh dried material, seeds, oils, wax, you name it. The University of the West Indies can go ahead to [engage in] research and development on [those] particular aspects. With that licence also comes a complimentary import and export licence that allows and facilitates them to get in-depth with what they are doing.”
Meanwhile, Pharmacologist Dr Damian Cohall, the deputy dean of UWI’s medical sciences faculty, has now gain a lucrative footing in the ever-expanding medicinal cannabis industry, which will be to the benefit of the local economy.
“The newly issued cannabis research and development licence provides an excellent opportunity for the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill to have better alignment with a growing and transformative industry in Barbados, wider Caribbean and globally. The current scope of this licence allows the UWI to pursue drug discovery and other important pharmacological research on cannabinoid compounds, inclusive of the phytocannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids, endocannabinoids, and other related phytochemicals from the cannabis plant.”
He added: “The benefits are endless as these medicinal interventions can create wealth and health opportunities impacting the quality of life of Barbadians who can benefit directly and indirectly via an upward trend in the country’s gross domestic product.”
