Ethos, a multi-state cannabis operator, wants to invest in medical marijuana research in Massachusetts, but there's no place for it to go.
The state has a license category for medical marijuana research facilities, but not a single entity has a state-approved operation up and running.
Ethos CEO Gibran Washington, who already funds medical marijuana research in Pennsylvania at Thomas Jefferson University, says he's just waiting for a similar opportunity here.
"We would jump all over it to be a part of this kind of community," Washington said. "This is the research capital of the world."
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The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission has received eight marijuana research facility applications so far. One of them has reached the point of "provisionally approved," but none are open yet.
In Pennsylvania – since 2017 – and in other states, the medical research is well underway.
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"We need to be proactive and not reactive, and now's the time," said Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commissioner Kimberly Roy, who advocates for the medicinal benefits of marijuana.
She says the fact the federal government still classifies marijuana as being as dangerous as heroin is the biggest challenge. Academic institutions that receive federal funding are reticent to embark on any research that might jeopardize that money.
However, critics argue, commissioners' rules around intellectual property and other bureaucratic obstacles are disincentivizing researchers from uncovering health care advances for cannabis in Massachusetts.
A recent survey of oncologists illustrates how hungry doctors are for more medical research studies.
Massachusetts has strong infrastructure and extensive talent in life sciences and academic studies, but none of that is being used to study the benefits and risks of medicinal marijuana at a state-approved research facility.
