Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Institute of Cannabis Research is now operational, according to a Colorado Public Radio report. The institute is the nation’s first-ever academically-based conference and research journal on cannabis.
The goal of the ICR is to develop new and novel uses for cannabis. Using industrial hemp fibers for 3D printing and examining the effects of CBD on adults with medically refractory epilepsy are two of the first studies being pursued by ICR researchers.
According to a press release, the ICR was created with $900,000 in funding derived from the state’s marijuana tax, allocated by the legislature through Senate Bill 16-191. Additionally, they have received $200,000 from Pueblo County and another $739,946 from the state as direct investments for conducting research.
“I’m very pleased with the progress being made at the institute,” CSU-Pueblo President Lesley Di Mare said in the release. “It is imperative that we are good stewards of the state and county funds through our research and education mission, and that we communicate our progress to our constituents.”
The program is led by Jen Mullen, the former head of the mass communications department at CSU-Puebo.
The inaugural ICR conference is set for the last weekend in April on the CSU-Pueblo campus.