Been doing some reading about why there are no large scale studies. Cost is definitely a factor, but the biggest hurdle is that CBD is still a Schedule 1 substance, with "high likelyhood for abuse and no medical benefits". There's an interesting article in Nature where a researcher states that he can go to any coffee shop in NYC and get a full-spectrum CBD infused latte, but if he wants to conduct any research he needs a walk in safe and 6 months of paperwork for licensing.
It's just like hemp. All the old cranks still associate them both with THC.
When it comes down to it, it's still all about $$. There are lots of people, thousands of them, who spend DECADES doing paperwork for research, it's their passion, what they've been educated and trained to do. But, someone's gotta pay them to do the research.
It's not just CBD/MJ that have the problem not performing the research for legit clinical indications. "Essential Oils", whatever that shit Frank Thomas pushes, boner enhancers that aren't actually Sildenafil, Vardenafil, or Tadalafil, the list of that kind of stuff goes on and on and in the end, it's all about the $$ to do the research.
After you prove efficacy then you have to perform the studies on dosage and administration (how to ingest/introduce the compound) and what's the standard for dosing the active ingredient, stability (how long can It be stored and at what rate does it degrade during storage), Pharmacokinetics (what's it actuating doing within the body), elimination (half-life and clearance what organs are involved and how long does it take), Adverse Events, Contra-indications, Side-effects, any "Black Box Warnings", etc, etc, etc.
Look at the little folded up sheets that come with just a bottle of aspirin or ibuprofen. You need that clinical data if you're going to make a medical claim/drug indication. Then of course there's the patent issue. You have 20yrs from the day you patent a compound (not a finished drug, just the active ingredient compound) to complete all of the work/studies then bring the drug to market and pay for all of the research, and of course, ultimately, make a few bucks for yourself. On average, you're going to use up about 1/2 of your patent life and ~2.5 BILLION $$ before you sell your 1st dose of medication.
You can say, "It's all the old cranks worried about THC"
I can say, "It's lazy doper potheads who don't want to do the actual WORK it takes to get a drug approved".
We'd both be a little bit right and a whole lot wrong.
