Letter from the Director:
It is hard to believe that another year has concluded. Fiscal year 2021 has been a challenging one on many fronts for many individuals and organizations, and this is also true for the Institute of Cannabis Research (ICR). The global COVID pandemic has had broad impacts. The obvious impacts include a cessation of in-person meetings and conferences as well as working remotely sometimes with family distractions in the background and unstable internet/Wi-Fi at home. Perhaps the less obvious impact is the decrease in state funding in many areas necessitated the downturn in the economy that accompanied the pandemic. For the ICR the decrease in annual funding meant a commensurate decrease in the ability to fund cannabis research during the year. As well, over this past year I certainly found myself appreciating the efficiencies of working in an environment with colleagues being accessible and right around the corner in the next office, having ready access to a photocopier/scanner, and working where simple discussions do not require being scheduled on a virtual meeting platform. I am grateful for the fact that technology has allowed us to still be productive and stay safe in a world with a global pandemic, but truth be told, I look forward to a time when life is not so “virtual”.
With the lamentations expressed I am pleased to focus on the positive outcomes from this past year. The ICR exists to support unbiased cannabis research and see the results of cannabis research broadly shared. Notable accomplishments this year includes launching the first state-wide competition for sponsored cannabis research overseen by the ICR. This required considerable effort by the ICR Staff to build and manage this process. This also required the participation of researchers in Colorado and across the country to volunteer their time and expertise to participate in the peer-review process that is the cornerstone of identifying the most innovative and meritorious research proposals (Thank you to those that served on the Review Panels!). Other firsts this year include the new ICR Webinar Series hosted the second Thursday of every month, which was launched this past October, and the new ICR e-Newsletter that is distributed every two months. If you have missed these items, they are archived on the ICR’s website. The Journal of Cannabis Research, the official journal of the ICR, had an exceptional year under the continued guidance of Editor-in-Chief Dr. David Gorelick. The Journal saw continued growth in submissions and publications and is now indexed.
There is reason to be optimistic that the upcoming year will include a recovering economy, a recovery in funding for the ICR, and the start of several new cannabis research projects by researchers at institutions and organizations throughout the state. Cannabis is a broad topic and still with many unknowns and questions most of which can only be addressed with quality, unbiased research. The ICR hosted at CSU Pueblo is looking forward to supporting the research that is needed address outstanding questions and the researchers that will be conducting these studies. There is still a lot of good work to be don and the ICR, its Staff, and Governing Board continue to do their part.
In the upcoming year I hope you will join us at the annual Cannabis Research Conference, attend one of our scheduled webinars, or interact with us on social media. Please feel free to reach out to the ICR anytime with questions or comments (icr@csupueblo.edu).
Chad Kinney, Ph.D.
Director, Institute of Cannabis Research