Colorado Earmarks $8 Million for MMJ Research

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The Colorado Department of Health and Environment will devote serious money to studying the efficacy of medical marijuana for a variety of ailments, a move that eventually could help boost the MMJ market nationally.

A state board decided on Wednesday to spend at least $8 million on multiple grants to research MMJ’s effects on patients with conditions ranging from epilepsy to irritable bowel syndrome to post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the Associated Press.

Backers of the plan contend that the research could help narrow down what types of cannabis work best for patients, and that in turn could give dispensaries across the country more insight into what they advise customers to purchase for medicine.

The findings also could help convince states to expand their list of qualifying MMJ conditions, and the research could increase support for medical cannabis in markets that haven’t yet legalized.

But the grants could be held up in court. According to the Denver Post, a group called the Patient and Caregiver Rights Litigation Project has sued the state, arguing that the funding is illegal under state law and should be refunded to taxpayers.