CERI brings together thought leaders in the field and is working to create a registry for physicians, patients, and researchers, and create pilot programs for payers to determine the value of cannabis to their members. As public policy around cannabis continues to shift, CERI will be a powerful voice in support of the medicinal cannabis patient.
CERI advocates strongly for a change in the Drug Enforcement Administration classification of marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug. While the use of medicinal marijuana has been legalized in many states, there is no accepted medicinal use of marijuana at a federal level. Using cannabis, even in laboratory research, in states where it’s legal is considered a federal felony — creating legal issues that continue to hold back important research and consequentially, treatment of patients. We hope our own research projects can help bring about much needed policy change.
Our Board of Trustees is composed of physicians, scientists, and public policy experts who believe that CERI can advance research and objective analysis of medicinal cannabis. We will keep our supporters apprised as we move forward with our mission to advance research and knowledge of cannabis.
In Oregon, reports found that after recreational marijuana was legalized, the number of medicinal-only shops fell from 400 to 2. Patients who relied on specific cannabis strains, often those with low levels of THC, found fewer options and significant price hikes, and struggled to receive the treatment they needed. The legalization of recreational use in California and Colorado also led to a similar decrease in the accessibility of medicinal marijuana for CA and CO residents.
Marajuana strains useful for medicinal cannabis patients are often not popular with recreational users. As a result, as many people turn to cheaper, more easily accessible recreational marijuana, there is less incentive for medicinal dispensaries to continue to cultivate medicinal strains so many patients rely on.
For people who rely on medicinal marijuana to control ailments such as epilepsy, nausea from cancer pain, multiple sclerosis spasms, and other chronic conditions, losing access to their treatment can be devastating.