From the Lab to the Classroom: Medicinal Cannabis Reaches Academic Training

In Pharmacy, science and care come together. In this context, UniRios has developed a practical activity aimed at Pharmacy students, focusing on the processes of manipulation and extraction of phytocannabinoid-based oils. Members of an association linked to medicinal cannabis visited the institution's pharmacy in Paulo Afonso (BA) to closely follow the stages carried out in an academic environment as part of the practical training of the students.

For Alexandre Assis, who participated in the activity, providing this experience is essential. “By manipulating and extracting cannabis, students understand the plant from its origin to the transformation into extract. This puts them in real contact with technical knowledge that the market already demands,” says the director of ABECMED. 

Training that follows the future

The partnership between institutions and associations is seen as a way to break down barriers and broaden horizons. “When we address everything from plant physiology to medication dilution, we are training professionals capable of looking at the subject with responsibility and science,” he explains. This comprehensive view, according to him, prepares young pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to become knowledge multipliers, capable of dealing with the growing demand for medicinal cannabis in Brazil and worldwide.

Assis mentions that he is making progress in discussions with Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Medicine, Psychology courses, and even areas such as Law and Chemistry. The goal is to integrate the study of cannabis into different fields, connecting practice and research to a debate that still faces prejudices.

Overcoming barriers, opening paths

Despite the progress, he recalls that the biggest challenge is still legal. “Incredibly, the law treats a medication with prejudice, while allowing the consumption of alcohol and ultra-processed foods. The result is that we lag behind countries like Paraguay, Argentina, and Colombia, which have already advanced in this field,” he reflects.

Nevertheless, the movement continues. In addition to the experience at UniRios, ABECMED has already signed an agreement with the State University of Bahia (UNEB), conducts analyses at UFSC, maintains projects with UNICAMP, and, together with UFABC, works to establish a Center for Studies on medicinal cannabis.

Step by step, as in oil production, education is transforming. And with it, the possibility that medicinal cannabis ceases to be taboo and becomes, definitively, part of science, education, and healthcare.