Letter from the Director:
It has been another productive year for the Institute of Cannabis Research (ICR) with a number of items to celebrate. I will highlight several of these in this letter and encourage readers to review the rest of this report to learn more about the ICR in greater detail. The ICR welcomed two new Governing Board members as well as welcomed back some Board Members for another term of service. The ICR is grateful for the continued interest from experts in various fields of cannabis science in serving on the ICR Governing Board. This fall saw a transition in Board leadership with Dr. L. Cinnamon Bidwell concluding her time as the Inaugural Chair of the Governing Board. Thankfully, the ICR continues to benefit from Dr. Bidwell’s expertise and leadership as she continues on as a Board Member. Dr. Jon Reuter has graciously agreed to step into the leadership role of Governing Board Chair and is doing an outstanding job as Chair.
At the time of the drafting of this letter, the ICR is supporting 20 high impact research projects across the state of Colorado. Most of these are projects that have a duration of about 3-years. The first set of 3-year projects will be concluding spring of 2024. Details of the outcomes of many of these projects are included later in this report. As some of the projects that the ICR supports are coming to conclusion a new set of research projects are being selected through a rigorous review process and will be initiated in the summer of 2024. Colorado and the ICR is very fortunate to have such great cannabis researchers and research infrastructure in the state.
While I do not wish to diminish the very real impacts of a global pandemic, if you are anything like me, you are likely tired of hearing about the impacts of COVID-19 and excited to look forward. After several years of uncertainty around travel and gathering in large numbers, it was wonderful to have the Cannabis Research Conference (CRC) back in-person after operating virtually for 3 years. The CRC 2023 was held at the Auraria Campus in Denver in August 2023. It was wonderful to gather with colleagues, researchers and stakeholders to discuss the latest developments in cannabis science. The conference consisted of 341 attendees (318 domestic and 23 international) and 143 presentations. The next conference, CRC 2024, will be held August 7-9, 2024, at the Colorado State University Campus in Fort Collins. The planning committee is actively reviewing well over 100 abstracts for this conference, which promises to be a premiere event to share and learn about the latest advancements in cannabis research.
The ICR has sponsored the Journal of Cannabis Research (JCR) since its launch in 2018. Launching a journal is not for the faint of heart. Fortunately, the JCR has been under the unwavering leadership of Editor-in-Chief Dr. David Gorelick. Earlier in the fiscal year the JCR received its first Impact Factor, which is 3.7. While not everyone may be familiar with what an Impact Factor is or means, it is an important measure of journal success. In short, it is a measure of the importance/quality (impact) of a journal and is based on the number of citations of an article published in the journal by other authors and researchers. An initial impact factor of 3.7 is very good. Like the conference, the JCR is a tool by which the ICR is impacting cannabis research in Colorado, nationally, and globally. In its relatively short history there have been almost 600,000 downloads of JCR articles.
I wish that I had more space to brag about more of the good work and impact of the ICR. You will have to read the rest of this report to learn more. I will conclude with some notes of thanks. First, I wish to thank the ICR Staff that work tirelessly to support the multifaceted work of the ICR. Most of the time I am amazed at the diversity, quantity, and quality of work that the small but mighty Staff does every day for the citizens of Colorado. Second, I would like to thank the state appointed Governing Board that generously lends its expertise and commitment to advance cannabis research to the ICR and state. Next I would like to thank Colorado State University Pueblo, who has served as the host institution for the ICR since the inception. Without the infrastructure and assistance of a host institution it would be impossible for the ICR to do what it is called on to accomplish each year. Finally, thank you to the state of Colorado for entrusting the ICR, its Staff, and Governing Board with the responsibility of conducting important cannabis research on behalf of the citizens of Colorado.
With Gratitude,
Chad A. Kinney, Ph.D.
Director of the ICR