[CBD molecule courtesy of PubChem]
Yale School of Medicine has established a research center, the Yale Center for the Science of Cannabis and Cannabinoids, to investigate how cannabis and cannabinoids affect neurodevelopment and mental health. Led by Dr. Deepak Cyril D’Souza, an expert in cannabinoid pharmacology, the center will use a multidisciplinary approach to study the acute and chronic effects of these substances.
Yale psychiatry chair Dr. John H. Krystal, and the university’s dean of medicine, Dr. Nancy J. Brown, announced the establishment of the new cannabinoids center on January 30, 2023.
The two said the center’s opening was timely given the rapid commercialization of cannabis in the U.S. In addition to internal funding, the new center will intend to secure a P50-type center grant for further research.
Booming cannabinoids interest but relatively limited research
Interest in cannabinoids has increased in recent years, although the fact that cannabis remains a Schedule I substance has constrained research.
Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound in the cannabis plant, has emerged as a popular supplement. The compound shows promise for various conditions, including pain, anxiety, depression, inflammation, seizures and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. CBD may also have potential as an anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and antipsychotic agent.
A study in early 2022 found that cannabinoid acids may protect against COVID-19.
The quality of evidence for most conditions, however, remains generally low.
FDA approved Epidiolex (cannabidiol) to treat certain severe seizure disorders in 2018.
The UK-based company GW Pharmaceuticals originally developed Epidyolex. Jazz Pharmaceuticals acquired GW for approximately $7.2 billion in 2021.
FDA looking at new ways to regulate CBD
FDA, however, has noted that it believes a new regulatory pathway for CBD is required to regulate the use of CBD as a food additive and dietary supplement.
The marketing of CBD-based products continues to be illegal under FDA regulation, but such products are widely available in many U.S. states.
The agency notes that studies indicate that the compound may harm the liver and possibly damage the male reproductive system.
FDA also says CBD is a potential threat to animals and that people may unknowingly ingest CBD through products such as meat, milk and eggs from animals fed CBD.