OXFORD, Miss. – National Geographic Channel producers
researching an upcoming episode of “Explorer” on marijuana
quickly discovered they needed to visit the University of
Mississippi.
For almost four decades, UM researchers have been growing
Cannabis plants and providing marijuana and constituent
compounds to the National Institute on Drug Abuse for use
by scientists studying the plant, its chemical components
and its harmful and potential medicinal uses.
A film crew spent most of Wednesday (June 4) interviewing
researchers at the National Center for Natural Products
Research, particularly research professor Mahmoud ElSohly,
director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Marijuana
Project. The episode is expected to air in late fall.
“When we started our initial research on the program, a lot
of people directed us to Dr. ElSohly,” said Natalie Jaime,
associate producer for the show. “And since this is the
only place that marijuana is legally grown (for research),
we knew we had to come here.”
The producers also wanted to focus on the science of
marijuana research and are particularly interested in the
center’s research to “fingerprint” marijuana seized in drug
raids, Jaime said.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse began funding the
Marijuana Project in 1968. After joining the project in
1976, ElSohly became its director in 1980, when his
predecessor, Carlton Turner, was named director of
President Ronald Reagan’s new White House Drug Abuse Policy
Office.
After working on the project for more than 30 years,
ElSohly, a natural products chemist, has become an expert
on the more than 400 chemicals found in the plant. Those
chemicals were used by ElSohly to develop the Cannabis
fingerprint system that distinguishes marijuana samples
based on their geographical origin.
“Two plants of the same genetic makeup grown in different
parts of the world will be different,” explained Don
Stanford, the project’s technical services manager.
Researchers at the center are looking at ways to identify
where the plants seized in raids originated. “We want to be
able to take the materials and do a fingerprint that will
enable us to say with 90 (percent) to 95 percent certainty
that the plant was grown in Mexico or Thailand or
wherever,” ElSohly said.
The National Geographic crew also interviewed Kenneth
Sufka, professor of psychology and pharmacology, who
conducts joint research projects with NCNPR. Sufka
discussed how marijuana affects the human brain and
behavior. He also discussed several collaborative projects
studying the potential therapeutic effects of cannabis
constituents for a number of clinical syndromes.
The crew has traveled to Northern California and Vancouver
to film other parts of the episode, which also examines the
economics of marijuana in the U.S., the work of the Drug
Enforcement Agency and proponents of legalized marijuana,
Jaime said. She was joined by producer Ray Telles,
cameraman Mark Knobil and sound technician Erv Reinhart for
the daylong filming.
According to the National Geographic Web site, the show
“Explorer” is intended to document unforgettable
adventures, extraordinary stories and remarkable
destinations, “from life inside North Korea to gang life on
the streets of America, from ancient mysteries to
cutting-edge science.” For more information, check local
television listings or go to
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer.
For more information on the Marijuana Project and the
National Center for Natural Products Research, visit http://www.pharmacy.olemiss.edu/ncnpr/.