University of the West Indies Granted Research and Development License by Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority

by Shamar Blunte

The Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority (BMCLA) has formally granted the University of the West Indies (UWI) its first research and development licence to turn marijuana into new products.

In a brief ceremony on Friday at the UWI at Cave Hill, representatives from the drug industry, the authority, and the university joined together to mark the beginning of research opportunities now available here for medical cannabis development.

“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,” said Shanika Roberts-Odle, the BMCLA’s acting chief executive officer. “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.”

Pharmacologist Dr Damian Cohall, the deputy dean of UWI’s medical sciences faculty, has been an advocate for medicinal cannabis and other herbs for the treatment of communicable and non-communicable diseases. With the licence, the UWI gains access to the lucrative and innovative medicinal cannabis industry, which is rapidly expanding globally, he declared.

“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,” said Dr Cohall, an expert on the science behind the Caribbean’s medicinal herbs.

“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.

“These research opportunities are endless within our current research facilities which include over 2 000 square feet of generalised bench research area, a cell culture laboratory and animal testing facilities. So we are primed for drug discovery,” he added.

While declaring that the occasion was a cause for celebration, Dr Cohall stressed that in its future research plans, the university had a right to conduct its work in a socially responsible way.