$3 Million Gift Enables Jefferson University to Study Cannabinoids
New cannabis research will be underway at The Institute of Emerging Health Professions at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Australian philanthropists Barry and Joy Lambert donated $3 million to the university’s Center for Medical Cannabis Education and Research, according to Philanthropy News Digest.
The center will be able to use this gifted money to study the medical benefits of cannabinoids, which includes but is not limited to cannabidiol. Researchers will also study other chemicals in the cannabis plant in addition to the study of hemp. With this new donation from the Lamberts and the center’s new research focus, the center will be renamed Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University.
The IEHP Director Charles V. Pollack Jr. explained how this donation will positively affect the center. “We are extremely grateful to the Lamberts for this bold and visionary gift, which will have an immediate impact on our research and education efforts,” said Pollack Jr. “From the start we have had an ambitious agenda to elevate the science that underpins the therapeutic use of cannabinoids, and this donation provides a huge boost of momentum to pursue the most promising ideas and potential therapies for a range of conditions.”
Barry and Joy Lambert’s donation may have stemmed from the couple’s personal experience. Their infant granddaughters was diagnosed with a rare genetic abnormality called Dravet’s syndrome. Katelyn only found relief from her severe and constant seizures with cannabis that we derived from hemp. As the founder of Australia’s biggest accounting-based advisory firm, Count Financial, Barry Lambert and his wife were able to make this pivotal donation that could lead to ground-breaking research for people with various medical conditions.
