Medical Cannabis Research Agreement Signed in Maryland

Frederick, Maryland, March 15, 2016 (Newswire.com) - ​Green Leaf Medical, LLC, a prospective applicant for one of the Maryland Medical Cannabis cultivation and processing licenses, has just signed a research agreement with Dr. Maneesh Sharma and the Interventional Pain Institute, located in Baltimore, MD. Per the research agreement, Green Leaf Medical will supply free Medical Cannabis in a variety of administrations and a variety of cannabinoid profiles to Dr. Sharma and the Interventional Pain Institute. Dr. Sharma will conduct patient trials designed to test the efficacy of using Medical Cannabis to treat specific chronic pain conditions. 

Green Leaf Medical CEO, Philip Goldberg, explains “Our group is investing considerable resources to engage the Maryland medical community in research projects to further understand the medical benefits of Cannabis and to help our company develop strains, cannabinoid profiles and routes of administration that will best benefit patients in Maryland.”

"Our group is investing considerable resources to engage the Maryland medical community in research projects to further understand the medical benefits of Cannabis and to help our company develop strains, cannabinoid profiles and routes of administration that will best benefit patients in Maryland."

Philip Goldberg, CEO

With more than 125,000 patients expected to enroll in the Maryland Medical Cannabis program, the demand for pharmaceutical grade Cannabis based medicines is expected to be high. Goldberg and Dr. Sharma expect the trials and resulting research to be published in medical journals and made available to the public.

“With the majority of patients expected to fall into the category of 'pain management', we have decided to focus our initial research on this field”, said Goldberg.  “Working with Dr. Sharma just made sense. He is a leader in the field of pain management." 

In fact, Dr. Sharma is Director of Pain Medicine at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Director of the Interventional Pain Institute.  He has ongoing research at Johns Hopkins University, trains residents and teaches around the world. He received a Doctorate of Medicine with Honors from the Medical College of Wisconsin and joined Johns Hopkins University to complete his Residency in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. He was then appointed as the Perdue Fellow further sub-specializing in Interventional Pain Medicine. Dr. Sharma has extensive experience in the medical and surgical treatment of complex pain conditions.  

Goldberg hopes to expand the Green Leaf Medical research initiative to include physicians and medical centers that are focused on epilepsy and says, “Although the patient base is smaller, it is no less significant. Some of the greatest promise we see in Medical Cannabis is its ability to reduce or even prevent seizures.”

Sitting on Green Leaf Medical’s Board of Advisors is Dr. Paul Lyons, a Neurologist who is currently conducting clinical trials using cannabinoid based medicines to treat children and adults with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and/or Dravet Syndrome. He is one of only a small number of physicians who has FDA approval to conduct trials using Cannabis based medicines. Dr Lyons trials focus on Refractory epilepsy, a form of epilepsy in which seizures persist despite attempted treatment with two appropriate medications given at appropriate doses. "If an epileptic individual is not helped by the first two medications, the chances of finding a medication that works is reduced to between 5 and 8 percent", Lyons said. “Despite all available treatments and despite 102 years of medical research, we still have a third of patients with refractory epilepsy. That’s why we need new drugs,” Lyons said.

While optimistic, Goldberg says “Our research plans will only be possible if we are awarded a license to cultivate and process Medical Cannabis. There is significant competition both in state and out of state.” Goldberg has operated Green Leaf Medical since 2014. He has testified before the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission and is President-elect of the MDCIA(Maryland Cannabis Industry Association). Green Leaf Medical has secured a lease on a 42,000 square foot facility in Frederick, Maryland. Goldberg hopes the Commission will be in a position to issue licenses by July, 2016. Green Leaf Medical’s Facebook page has over 7,500 fans and support for their mission is growing.

Contact Green Leaf Medical, LLC:

Philip Goldberg
CEO​
[email protected]
Facebook.com/GreenLeafMedical
​P: 800-530-8739