Jammu, NOV 23 : Indian Institute of Integrated Medicine, Jammu, will conduct a landmark study on cannabis, possibly the first of its kind, to explore its potential clinical benefits. At a one-day conference on “Cannabis R&D in India” on Friday, Union Minister Dr Jitendera Singh said the government had granted a license to IIIM Jammu for the cultivation of cannabis for medical research and drug development.Cannabidiol (CBD) has therapeutic properties for conditions like diabetic neuropathy, cancer and in children with epilepsy and sickle cell anaemia, he said.
“CSIR-IIIM Jammu has been given the responsibility of undertaking this study because the institute specialises in herbal and medicinal plants and has a legacy of undertaking pioneering research in the field ever since the time of its founding father Sir Ram Nath Chopra,” Singh said.
The Union minister further announced that clinical trials of the drug would be done in collaboration with Tata Memorial Cancer Centre, Mumbai, which functions under the aegis of the Department of Atomic Energy, which comes under his ministry.
Pointing out that there was a very thin line between the use and abuse of a drug, Singh said that while therapeutic uses of the drug would come to the rescue of needy patients, its misuse would be prevented and regulated through appropriate legislation and law enforcement agencies.
