From Our President: 2019 in Review
2019 was a banner year for both the hemp-derived CBD and medical marijuana industries due to the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill which legalized hemp cultivation across the US, as well as changing public sentiment towards cannabis in general. More than 1 out of 7 U.S adults now say they use CBD. However, lack of industry regulation and oversight as well as the massive black market for such products has led to systemic quality control issues. Instead of delivering on their much-expected promise, Cannabis, and hemp-derived CBD in particular, may instead pose a potential public health hazard due to wide-spread misinformation, ingredient mislabeling, and product contamination.
The current state of affairs further underscores the importance of our mission at Wholistic Research and Education Foundation. Both the public and healthcare professionals need legitimate research on the safety and efficacy of cannabis and evidence-based data to separate fact from fiction. I am thrilled to share our progress on these fronts with this newsletter. From the IRB-approved studies on CBD efficacy for Autism (UCSD) and Personalized Brain Effects of Cannabinoids (University of Utah) to kicking off a new study on Cannabis Efficacy for Insomnia with UCLA, we are driving multidisciplinary research to understand how cannabis may deliver its diverse health benefits and its highly personalized effects. Our partnerships with Trailblazers and the Clean Label Project, along with the creation of the Cannabis Research Alliance, are accelerating our education and advocacy efforts.
We sincerely appreciate your continued support and look forward to hearing your questions as well as the stories that brought you here. I believe it will be new hypotheses emerging from each of our individual stories, explored using cutting edge science and a whole systems approach, that will ultimately explain the power of this ancient plant.
With gratitude,
Pelin Thorogood
President & Co-founder
