Australian philanthropists Barry and Joy Lambert have donated a big chunk of change to Thomas Jefferson University in the USA to support its Center for Medical Cannabis Education and Research.
Thomas Jefferson University is a private health sciences university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was first major health sciences university in the USA to establish such a center.
Charles V. Pollack Jr., Director of the University’s Institute of Emerging Health Professions, said the donation is a huge boost to supporting their efforts in investigating the most promising ideas and potential therapies for various conditions.
The Center for Medical Cannabis Education and Research will be renamed to the Lambert Center and conduct research into cannabinoids such as cannabidiol; but also lesser-known compounds. As well as marijuana, hemp will also be researched as an additional source for cannabidiols.
“We believe that solving big problems requires courage and big ideas, and that is what we’ve seen at TJU and in the United States where 21st century laws and scientific approaches exist to the use of hemp as a safe and effective source of medicinal cannabis,” said Mr. Lambert.
“We have directly experienced the miraculous life-saving benefits of medicinal cannabis derived from hemp.”
The issue of medicinal cannabis is very close to the Lamberts’ hearts – they are grandparents of Dravet Syndrome sufferer Katelyn; who has benefited from the use of a cannabis medicine based on cannabidiol (CBD).
Closer to home, the Lamberts have also made a significant contribution towards cannabinoid research in Australia, with a multi-million-dollar donation to the University of Sydney in Australia.
In January this year, the Lamberts bestowed a $33.7 million gift to the University of Sydney to fund the Lambert Initiative; a project exploring the potential of cannabinoids in treating a range of diseases. It was the largest gift ever made to research at the University of Sydney.
The Lambert Initiative recently launched the PELICAN project, which is interviewing parents of children with epilepsy and analyzing cannabis extracts already in use in the community.
Mr. Lambert was the founder of Count Financial, Australia’s largest network of accountancy based advisory firms.
Trivia: The Thomas Jefferson University was named after the United States’ third president. Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and also grew hemp. Of the plant, he said:
“Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country”
