This WPU Professor Is Studying How Cannabis Affects Our Behavior

WAYNE, NJ — When you hear that someone is studying the effects of cannabis on the human body at William Paterson University, know that, at least now, it doesn't mean three college freshman in gas masks have just been officially reprimanded.

Recently, the college announced that Emmanuel Onaivi, a professor of biology at the Wayne university, received a three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism worth over $400,000.

According to William Paterson, the grant will aid Onaivi in his continuing study on the behavioral effects associated with the modulation of CB2 cannabinoid receptors in the human body.

The CB2 cannabinoid receptor is one of the two types within the human body activated by cannabis use.

According to a 2018 study published in the Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology, the receptor "has been shown to have potential as a therapeutic target in models of diseases with limited or no currently approved therapies, such as neuropathic pain and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease."

Additionally, the study states, substances that activate this receptor have not been show to have "undesired psychotropic effects or addiction liability."

Onaivi, a neurobiologist, specializes in the molecular biology of drug abuse. According to a news release from the college, his latest study hopes to "provide a model to screen cannabinoids and classes of drugs for conditions of neuro-immune disorders."

It's a good bet that he'll be able to do it, as his research has already to led new discoveries in this area when he discovered functional type 2 cannabinoid receptors in the mammalian brain.

Better yet for William Paterson students, Onaivi is known to include undergraduate and graduate students in his research, and the college said a "specific aim" of this project is to do the same.

Venkat Sharma, dean of the College of Science and Health, said this grant validates the work Onaivi has already completed, and offers further opportunities for William Paterson students to engage with high-level research.

"I am delighted that Dr. Onaivi’s original research is further validated with this prestigious and highly competitive grant,” said Sharma, who also serves as consultant on the grant.

"Funding for this cutting-edge research has ensured that we will provide high-quality undergraduate research experience to our students as part of their experiential learning."