Exploring the potential of pot

As the therapeutic benefits of cannabis continue to gain mainstream acceptance, Steve Naraine, Medical Physics '14, is among those leading the way to study this little-understood plant.

Naraine is investigating the evolution of seed morphology between hemp and mari­juana as a graduate researcher in Prof. Lesley Campbell's Plant Evolutionary & Ecology Lab. Cannabis is a plant he's been exploring for years, as a government-regulated grower, medical marijuana industry consultant and, for the last two years, through co-operative re­search projects at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He is now studying the government's seed collection for his master’s thesis.

"There's so much we don't understand about cannabis, because it has been a controlled substance, so a lot of the basic science hasn't been done," Naraine says. "Once we understand it better, we can make it into a better medicine."

Naraine's own interest in medicinal can­nabis began in 2008, when he was an under­graduate. A friend asked if he could help grow more effective medical marijuana for his mother, a cancer patient and prescription holder suffering from extreme nausea and pain caused by chemotherapy. Using scien­tific experimentation skills he'd learned in class, he cultivated plants containing higher levels of THC, the psychoactive compound that alleviates pain and boosts appetite.

The experience sparked Naraine's interest, leading him to review literature on the plant and talk to growers, patients and doctors. In 2013, he shared his research interests with Campbell, who was encouraging, and together they began to collaborate with Tweed, a licensed medical marijuana company in Smiths Falls, Ont. Naraine also conducted research for Tweed on cannabis genetics and strain varieties.

Naraine says the plant could be very valuable not only as a pharmaceutical, but also for in­dustrial, food production and other purposes.

"The graduate school at Ryerson under­stands the value of this research and the incredible impact it can have," Naraine says. "It's providing me with a platform to further explore this plant and its potential."