The legalization of cannabis in Canada has heightened the need to understand more about this once forbidden plant. But after decades of prohibition, only a small amount of research is available compared to other botanicals, and researchers still have a way to go to fully understand how exactly cannabis interacts with the chemistry and physiology of the brain, as well as adverse events related to individual genetic variability.
British Columbia is already poised to be a leader in cannabis research with industry leading experts such as Dr. Jonathan Page, who with his team was the first to sequence the cannabis genome, right here in BC. Page co-founded Anandia Laboratories Inc. (Anandia) with chemist Dr. John Coleman on the UBC campus, and the company has since emerged as a world-leading company for testing cannabis produced by other growers. Anandia was voted the top lab amongst the 55 authorized testing facilities in Canada. Consumer safety is the priority, including testing of cannabis products for accurate potency and to ensure they are free of contaminants such as pesticides, as required by federal regulations before going to market.
