President's Message

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website and learn more about Florida A&M University's (FAMU) Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI). When the Florida Legislature beckoned, we welcomed the opportunity to establish MMERI as a vehicle for research and education on medical marijuana. Our specific charge is to inform Florida's diverse communities about medical marijuana and about the impact that unlawful marijuana has on Florida's communities of color.

At MMERI, our objectives are to ensure that the voices of Florida's diverse communities are heard when policies are made, research is conducted, and that these communities benefit when medical usages are implemented. We are creating a repository to house the information that we are gathering and the findings from our research. As always, you can count on us to do high-quality research that will help inform legislative policy across the state, resulting in laws that will have positive impacts for all.

Transformation and innovation are terms used often in our strategic plan. This roadmap is designed to ensure that this institution is always at the forefront of success for our students, Florida and the nation. At FAMU we know that we have the expertise to address the issues driving this vast and burgeoning industry. As a land-grant institution with a statewide mission, we have engaged communities broadly and have students and alumni from all sectors of the great state of Florida. This history serves us well as we expand our education, research and service mission through the Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative.

Sincerely,

Larry Robinson, Ph.D.
President

Welcome to the Florida, A&M University (FAMU) Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI), website. I am honored to serve as the Principal Investigator for MMERI. As the Principal Investigator, I am responsible for the overall leadership, management, and performance of the program. This position affords me the opportunity to work with the incredible, hard-working, and highly committed MMERI team on the progress and update of the Public Education Plan, required data analytics, continuous improvement model, and its efficient expenditure of funds.

You will find the MMERI Website easy to use with clear calls to action and details about the MMERI's successful inter-related program key components: Education, Community Engagement, and Communications. You may want to spend time participating in the Basic Medical Marijuana Education Course, as well as the Intermediate Medical Marijuana Education Course, and take the respective Surveys. Additionally, you may want to explore the MMERI Online Repository, that provides open access to materials that have been created in the MMERI key component areas. Further, you can view the MMERI Podcasts; and get acquainted with the work of the only Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the state of Florida charged with educating minorities about marijuana for medical use and the impact of the unlawful use of marijuana.

While you browse through the pages of- www.mmeri.famu.edu, you will also see our commitment to providing outstanding services and resources to Educate. Learn. Talk. about medical and unlawful marijuana use.

It is my sincere hope that you enjoy getting to know more about the Florida A&M University Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative.

Thank you for visiting this very informative website.

Charles Weatherford, Ph.D., Vice President for Research
Principal Investigator, FAMU MMERI