History
– 1908
University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy was founded by pharmacist Henry Minor Faser, the first dean of the school.
– 1964
Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (RIPS) was established as the research arm of the School of Pharmacy with a mission to discover and develop new drugs from natural sources.
Chemical structures of THC and CBD were determined by professor Raphael Mechoulam of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, spurring a worldwide interest in cannabinoid research.
– 1968
Program committee of National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) offered a contract to provide standardized marijuana for researchers. Dr. Norman Doorenbos, chair of UM Department of Pharmacognosy, applied for and was awarded the contract.
Dr. Coy Waller joined UM as associate director of RIPS.
First experimental plot of marijuana was grown at the UM site, using seeds from Mexico, Panama, Southeast Asia, Korea, India, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Lebanon.
– 1969
A secured garden was constructed for the first substantial crop grown at the UM site. An additional plot was planted in southern Mississippi on UM forest lands.
– 1970
Dr. Carlton E. Turner joined the project as a postdoctoral Research Associate to manage the development of cultivation techniques for standardized marijuana.
Congress passed the Controlled Substance Act, making marijuana a Schedule-I drug.
Dr. Coy Waller became director of RIPS.
– 1973
Congress established the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to be the lead agency for enforcement of the Controlled Substance Act.
– 1974
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) was established under the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration.
– 1975
NIDA and DEA collaborated to monitor the potency of illicit marijuana by establishing the Potency Monitoring Program as part of the contract.
Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly joined the project as a postdoctoral Research Associate.
– 1976
Outdoor cultivation activities continued to expand as the program became well known internationally.
Over 100 varieties of cannabis seeds were planted this season.
UM hosted the United Nations Narcotics Symposium in August.
– 1977
Because of potential health risks of smoking Mexican marijuana sprayed with the herbicide paraquat, NIDA incorporated paraquat testing into the Potency Monitoring Program.
– 1978
The Compassionate Investigational New Drug program was established to provide marijuana cigarettes to treat certain medical disorders in a limited number of patients.
– 1980
Tobacco drying barns were installed at the garden for drying the crops, instead of drying the harvested plants in the sun, as was done previously.
– 1981
Dr. Turner left UM to become the Director of Drug Abuse Policy under President Ronald Reagan.
Dr. ElSohly became the director of the UM marijuana project.
– 1984
Experimental techniques were developed to grow “sinsemilla” (Spanish for “no seed”) in which only female plants are allowed to mature in order to develop dense buds with high concentrations of cannabinoids. Today this is the predominate cultivation method for production of drug-type marijuana.
– 1989
The Coy Waller Laboratory Complex was constructed to provide dedicated laboratory and horticulture space for the project.
– 1991
RIPS began development of a novel drug delivery system for cannabis: a suppository containing a THC derivative.
RIPS developed a chemical “fingerprint” technique to identify the country of origin of confiscated marijuana.
– 1992
NIDA became part of The National Institutes of Health.
– 1995
The National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) was established under RIPS with missions to improve human health and agricultural productivity through discovery, development and commercialization of natural products.
– 1999
NIDA’s Request for Proposals (RFP) included requirements for GMP production. NCNPR established new quality systems and hired additional personnel in order to meet the new requirements.
– 2000
The Coy Waller Laboratory building expanded with the addition of an annex with an indoor growing facility, a second vault and a plant processing laboratory.
– 2005
NCNPR acquired an additional DEA Schedule-I bulk manufacturer to provide cannabis extract to pharmaceutical companies.
1,500 kg of marijuana was produced this year in the outdoor garden.
The grow room was renovated with a new HVAC system.
– 2006
NCNPR submitted Drug Master File “Cannabis Extract” to FDA.
An additional 1,500 kg of marijuana was produced this year for preparation of THC-rich cannabis extract.
– 2007
Over 300 kg of the product THC Cannabis Extract was manufactured this year.
– 2009
Dr. Ikhlas Khan became co-director of the UM Marijuana Project.
– 2012
School of Pharmacy researchers developed transmucosal patch for the delivery of THC using THC prodrugs.
– 2014
Three cannabis varieties were grown this season, yielding over 600 kg of marijuana of different chemical profiles for the NIDA drug supply program.
NIDA announced RFP for their ongoing marijuana program; UM submitted a proposal.
NCNPR and Nemus Bioscience collaborated to develop CBD analogs and THC prodrugs.
– 2015
Mississippi governor signed “Harper Grace’s Law” to allow NCNPR and UMMC to undertake a clinical study of CBD cannabis extract in treatment of pediatric epilepsy.
NCNPR won an award of a five-year NIDA contract, but Potency Monitoring Program was no longer included in the base contract.
– 2016
DEA announced a new policy to allow marijuana growers outside of the NIDA program to provide materials for research purposes.
NCNPR submitted Drug Master Files “CBD Cannabis Extract” and “Cannabidiol” to FDA.
NCNPR developed “CBD Cannabis Extract Oral Solution” for UMMC clinical study.
The grow room was renovated to include new lighting technologies.
– 2017
Dr. Brad Ingram submitted the Investigational New Drug (IND) application to FDA to begin a UMMC clinical study.
FDA approved UMMC clinical study for CBD Cannabis Extract Oral Solution for pediatric epilepsy.