Alumnus gives Harvard and MIT $9 million for cannabis research
Charles R. Broderick, an alumnus of MIT and Harvard University, has made gifts to both alma maters to support fundamental research into the effects of cannabis on the brain and behavior. The gifts, totaling $9 million, represent the largest donation to date to support independent research on the science of cannabinoids. The donation will allow experts in fields of neuroscience and biomedicine at MIT and Harvard Medical School (HMS) to conduct research that may help unravel the biology of cannabinoids, illuminate their effects on the human brain, catalyze treatments, and inform evidence-based clinical guidelines, societal policies, and regulation of cannabis. With the increasing use of cannabis both for medicinal and recreational purposes, there is a growing concern about critical gaps in knowledge. In 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine issued a report calling upon philanthropic organizations, private companies, public agencies, and others to develop a “comprehensive evidence base” on the short- and...