On the positive side, I believe that there are something in the order of 170 known cannabinoids that could potentially be useful pharmaceutically to alleviate the symptoms of disease, possibly even cure some diseases, but it is my understanding that it will be a long time yet before anybody figures out just exactly which of these molecules and compounds (or combinations thereof) can treat this or that symptom or disease. For example, we know that there is something in pot that gives you the 'munchies' and settles nausea - and this is wonderful for cancer sufferers and those on chemo - but just exactly which of these 170 compounds or possible combinations is doing the job, nobody yet knows. It is fantastic that the illegal stigma that has veiled cannabis is being lifted and that money is being poured in to fast track scientific research as there is clearly much potential and hopefully much promise, who knows what may be found? There are going to be many claims and breaking news and 'world firsts' and all of that stuff along the way, but in my mind it is far deeper than the 'hype', which only really gets shareholders and potential investors all excited and mucks share prices up no end. I am all for QBL transitioning from bauxite towards hemp but do feel that more certain and immediate gains will be made by focussing on the industrial uses for the crop, less so on the nutrition (we've all witnessed and been caught up in the so-called 'super food' thing and it's just as likely that we'll be back to quinoa sprinkles tomorrow - that's all down to marketing in a very competetive health food space) and lastly to just keep a close eye on the MM side without going overboard. The $3m allocated to Dr Mieri may ultimately prove to be neither here nor there but my interest was aroused when I read that it had been suggested by somebody that the ancient Egyptians used hemp to treat glaucoma. A comprehensive review on eye diseases in Ancient Egypt published in the Acta Ophthalmalogica that I found on Google mentioned no such thing and this does concern me. I might be completely wrong and am being unduly cautious, but I don't think the claims being made in the MM world generally will be any different to other fields of pharmaceutical research. Not pointing any fingers, just my gut feeling.
We've got a lot of time between now and October for some reading and research. One hell of a lot of good posts the past week or two and I am looking forward to further commentary and respectful dialogue from all posters.
QBL Price at posting:
3.7¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Held
