Kyung Hee University Medical Center (KHUMC) said it would conduct a series of joint studies, including one on the treatment effect of medical cannabis with Hemp & R Bio and GI Vita.

On Wednesday, the three institutions’ representatives met at the hospital president’s office to sign a business cooperation agreement to research and develop medical cannabis.

Through the joint studies, KHUMC will analyze the correlation between the efficacy and treatment effects of legally grown, processed, and produced hemp and provide medical and technological support for the usefulness and function of healthcare products using medical hemp, it said.

Medical marijuana is drawing attention because of its applicability based on the efficacy of its main ingredient, cannabinoid (CBD), but it is defined as a narcotic in Korea. In 2018, the government revised the Narcotics Control Act to allow the use of medical cannabis to a limited extent. Still, domestic research on its medical usefulness or function remains insufficient.