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| SU Ag Center and College of Ag Chancellor-Dean Dr. Orlando F. McMeans was the guest speaker at the Baton Rouge Press Club on Feb. 10, 2020. |
Baton Rouge, La. – Orlando
F. McMeans, Ph.D., Chancellor-Dean of the Southern University Ag Center and the
College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences spoke to members of the
Baton Rouge Press Club during the club’s weekly meeting on Feb. 10.
The main topic for
discussion during the meeting was the Ag Center’s Medical Marijuana Program.
“We will be harvesting
in the next week or so,” said McMeans about the Center’s first medical
marijuana crop when asked if the university had a production start date.
The harvesting date is
pending final approval by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
and the Louisiana Department of Health. After testing is conducted on the crop,
products are expected to be available in dispensaries.
“When you do something
for the first time and you have these strict guidelines that are overseen by so
many different agencies, every step has to be approved,” said McMeans. “We want
to make sure we follow the necessary steps to produce a quality product,” he
added.
McMeans explained that
the Center plans to do more than just produce medical marijuana but also
conduct research on developing new varieties of marijuana to target specific
ailments.
Additional topics
discussed by McMeans included the Center’s research into hemp, the recent
ribbon cutting and the unveiling of the Center’s hemp-derived CBD product line,
Alafia Healthcare, with partner Ilera Holistic Healthcare, making Southern
University the first historically black college or university (HBCU) to launch
a CBD line.
He also shared
information on upcoming academic student support that will be implemented within
the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences; increasing the Ag
Center’s Cooperative Extension footprint within the state; and seeking
resources to enhance and grow the programs and services of the Ag Center and
the College.
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