Michigan State University is conducting groundbreaking research on how marijuana affects the body.
“Specifically the research project we’re working on right now is primarily focused on patients that have HIV,” said Dr. Norbert Kaminski who leads the research.
Dr. Kaminski and his team want to make life easier for patients with HIV. Through their research, they are able to help with the pain a lot of HIV patients have.
“Perhaps the anti-inflammatory activity of these molecules in the marijuana plant may actually be very beneficial to them,” said Dr. Kaminski.
Dr. Kaminski and his team have been researching the effects of marijuana since 1990.
Michigan State was one of the first universities to conduct such research. However, the research is not without its problems.
“There is controversy and people have their opinions, but I try to stay more looking just at what the science is telling me,” Mike Rizzo, a research assistant, said.
The controversy and concern the team receives come from a place of the unknown.
“It’s more coming from a side of people don’t really know what it’s doing and the more we can study it and the more we can learn what it does to patients and how it affects them, I think the better off it would be,” said Alyssa Maturen, a research assistant.
The future of marijuana in the medical world seems to have a lot of potentials.
“I think they’re gonna do really big things with this research. I know Dr. Kaminski has been a groundbreaker for studying THC and I think it’s gonna be very helpful for patients in the future,” said Maturen.