I have to wonder, then: is the marijuana that's grown for research purposes representative of what's commonly grown and smoked today? Or is it essentially a "snapshot" of what was commonplace in 1976?

It's utterly pharmaceutical. The consumer market thinks of marijuana in terms of whole strains. The federal government, or more precisely, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which directs UM's program, thinks of marijuana in terms of constituent cannabinoids, with a special focus on THC and CBD. Their marijuana product is distributed in a homogenized form that's mixed to spec, so if you were to place an order from their menu[1], you'd ask for X marijuana cigarettes with "Medium THC / Low CBD." Of course, what NIDA considers high THC (5-10% by weight) doesn't compare all that well with today's products in the legal markets. In Colorado, 16-20% THC plant material is pretty common.

[1] https://www.drugabuse.gov/researchers/research-resources/nid...

360 joints per month? That's an absolutely insane amount of marijuana. Even if marijuana isn't inherently unhealthy, I have to imagine it can't be healthy to put that much smoke into your lungs.

Why even bother with that? Judging from jericsinger comment, if it is so precise, why not just create a pill or something?

Why bother with exposing yourself to breathing problems or lung cancer. And with smoking being banned in more and more places, it can't be easy to administer.

I remembered the # of joints, but just confirmed the amount and its 9oz/month...leave it to the federal government right?

As far as respiratory issues, I have never seen any medical record (nor would I discuss them if I did), but my Client is a public figure/activist for medical marijuana and addresses this question regularly. You can find videos online of him discussing this and many other issues if you are interested, but in short he claims no negative respiratory effects and 34 years on this dosage.

Weaker lungs is a small price to pay for not being blind and/or insane

I didn't know marijuana was a cure for blindness or psychosis (if anything I thought it was an aggravator of the latter).

very short term effectiveness for treating Glaucoma: http://www.aao.org/salud-ocular/consejos/medical-marijuana-g...

It was my understanding that the farm at University of Mississippi also provided the majority of the marijuana products for laboratory testing in the US.

You're correct. And the ordering guidelines are...extensive. https://www.drugabuse.gov/ordering-guidelines-marijuana-mari...

Is this for consumption as full cannabis products (for smoking or consumables) or for the production of marinol only?

Consumption as full cannabis products.

Not 365, but 360?

Per month, not per year. So ~12 per day.

I would get absolutely nothing done...

I'd sell 11 for 10 dollars a pop and get nothing done on 1 a day. 110 a day isn't bad spending money. The reality is though it would almost definitely be ridiculously hard to get away with selling government weed. Fuck if I know what I would do with that much.