Annual Report
FY2023 Annual Report: Letter From the Interim Director
The ICR had a very successful year in fulfilling its mission, and continued to significantly increase the scope and quality of the institute’s capacity to produce and administer high quality cannabis research and research dissemination for the people of Colorado. Highlights included:
- Significantly increasing the scope of ICR-funded research by supporting five new cannabis research projects which began this year with awards totaling $778,370.00. This brought the total number of ICR-sponsored research projects to 15 in total.
- Reviewing, refining, and implementing a best-national-practices proposal review process which resulted in a total of 47 applications proposing to do $6,914,456.00 in new research. These applications came from the top academic cannabis researchers at Colorado’s best research institutions. The top-tier of these projects are slated for implementation next year.
- Securing an additional $1,000,000.00 from Colorado’s Marijuana Cash Tax Fund to support up to five additional new projects next year. These funds will also double the capacity of the ICR to conduct its in-house cannabis research program.
- Conducting in-house cannabis research which resulted in the production of 11 research publications in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, 16 presentations at scientific conferences, formation of 7 international collaborations, training of 10 research students, and receipt of $265,000.00 in external funding which completely offset the cost of the ICR’s research program to the state.
- Implementation of our 6th Annual Cannabis Research Conference, which was conducted in collaboration with the Global Hemp Innovation Center at Oregon State University, and planning for the 7th annual conference which will be held at the Auraria Campus in Denver this August 3-5. The conference will feature over 150 research presentations with keynote speakers from around the world.
Colorado had the vision to create the ICR as cannabis legalization evolved in the state. Since its origination the institute has provided high quality research products which are fulfilling the responsibility of the state to provide the people of Colorado with evidence-based knowledge about the true harms and benefits of the cannabis products which are now legally produced and distributed in Colorado. As the cannabis industry is maturing in our state, declining revenues from cash sales of cannabis products have created a challenge for the legislature in meeting the budget demands necessary to sustain the research capacity of the ICR. Despite that, the legislature took its responsibility seriously, and not only sustained, but increased the research capacity of the ICR with added funding this year. It is this commitment of the Colorado legislature to its constituent citizenry that distinguishes Colorado as a national leader in how it addresses legal cannabis in our great state.
Jeffrey P Smith, PhD
Interim Director of the ICR
Professor of Biology
Colorado State University Pueblo
