A London-based clinical research company is one of the first to get the green light from Health Canada for a human trial of cannabis, research that is expected to help gauge the impacts and safety of weed when eaten.

KGK Science is recruiting dozens of Londoners to test the effects of an American-made cannabis oil produced by a company called New Age Nanotech.

It’s good timing, as edibles – candies and other food infused with marijuana – are set to arrive on the legal market in Canada in the coming months, what KGK Science’s marketing directly Lauren Redman called “legalization 2.0.”

“The trial will look at the absorption rates of THC and CBD in participants,” Redman said of the marijuana components to be tested in the oral product.

“Dosage is a huge factor (with edibles). People don’t really know how much to take and how much to eat. There isn’t really clear guidelines on how it will affect you when administered orally versus vaping or smoking.”

THC – tetrahydrocannabinol – is the chemical in cannabis that gets you high. CBD – cannabidiol – is used to treat pain, insomnia and anxiety.

The trial will be done with 32 Londoners, and recruitment is happening now. Those participants must not ingest cannabis for one month before the start of the study. KGK hopes to have it done by the end of the year.

“It makes it a little challenging for us to find people who are interested in taking part in this cannabis study (but) who are abstaining from it for 30 days,” Redman said.

Federal regulations around doling out weed are pretty strict, part of the reason why Health Canada is issuing so few approvals for human trials.

“Because we’re administering cannabis, we had to improve our security here, as well, and we’re at One London Place,” Redman said.

Every part of the study has been reviewed by the federal agency, she said.

“As a science-driven organization, effectively securing the required licensing is an important step,” KGK CEO and president Najla Guthrie said of the human cannabis trial in a media release.

Getting the green light from Health Canada approval will allow the company to test “the safety and efficacy of . . . cannabis-derived products through clinical trials.”

KGK Science – recently acquired by Auxly Cannabis Group – employs 85 people in London. The company initially started with clinical trials of natural and nutrition products before it expanded to pot.