Section 53B-17-1402 - Center creation - Duties(1) There is created the Center for Medical Cannabis Research within the University of Utah.(2) The center: (a) shall seek state, federal, and private funds to award grants for medical cannabis research;(b) shall facilitate and support funding for research related to the health effects, including the potential risks or side effects, of the use of cannabis products;(c) shall facilitate and support funding for research related to the efficacy and potential health effects of various cannabis delivery methods, including vaporizing, ingesting, topical application, and combustion;(d) shall support researchers in applying for and securing federal and private research grant funding for expanding medical cannabis research;(e) shall review current and future cannabis research literature, clinical studies, and clinical trials;(f) shall educate medical providers, lawmakers, and the public about medical cannabis research advances;(g) shall, if requested, consult with researchers and eligible institutions seeking to conduct medical cannabis research regarding legal implications of the research under state and federal law;(h) shall monitor, to the extent that appropriate and sufficient data are available, patient outcomes in any state with a medicinal cannabis program;(i) may coordinate, share knowledge, and share best practices with a state:(i) that has a medical cannabis program; and(ii) is conducting cannabis research;(j) may award or facilitate funding for grants to an eligible institution for medical cannabis research, including research regarding the growing of a medical-grade cannabis plant that is used for a cannabis product;(k) shall support a licensed cannabis cultivation facility to provide medical-grade cannabis products for research;(l) shall make, for research conducted by the center, the research outcomes publicly available;(m) shall maintain a catalog of all published scientific reports based on projects funded or managed by the center;(n) shall ensure that an individual who agrees to use a cannabis product as part of a research project conducted by the center or a grantee has: (i) a valid medical cannabis patient card from the state; or(ii) if included in the research project as a resident of another state, the equivalent of a medical cannabis patient card under the laws of another state, district, territory, commonwealth, or insular possession of the United States;(o) shall obtain an academic research cannabis license;(p) may apply for, or assist an eligible institution to apply for, a federal cannabis cultivation registration to locate a cannabis cultivation site in Utah; and(q) for the report described in Section 26B-4-222, shall provide information to the Department of Health and Human Services describing: (i) all research projects that are funded by a grant awarded by the center, including which institution received the grant;(ii) all research projects conducted by the center; and(iii) the adequacy of funding for the center's duties.(3) For research funded, conducted, or facilitated by the center, the center shall ensure the research: (a) includes appropriate research development, testing, and evaluation; and(b) if the research involves human subjects, is reviewed, approved, and overseen by an institutional review board as defined in Section 26-61-102.(4) The University of Utah shall provide staff for the center.Added by Chapter 281, 2023 General Session ,§ 6, eff. 5/3/2023.