Citizen Science: Cannabis  Research Overview

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Citizen science (CS; also known as community science, crowd science, crowd-sourced science, civic science, volunteer monitoring or networked science) is scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by amateur (or nonprofessional) scientists. Citizen science is sometimes described as "public participation in scientific research", participatory monitoring and participatory action research.[1]

This section provides information and tools to participate in research to better identify the role of cannabis in the medical setting. The current sections will provide a framework to take part in the research project.

Objective: To study the role that Cannabis Research plays in clinical practice.

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There is a growing public awareness of the potential of Cannabis to address increasing number of medical conditions and symptoms. Although there is growing interest, the research base to inform the use of Cannabis for particular conditions is lacking. The particular political process leading to legalization of Cannabis on the State level in the US and its continued legal status on the federal level, the nature and pharmacology  of Cannabis multiple components, the “availability on the street” , the unclear potential for monetizing Medical Cannabis by Big Pharma, the challenges associated conducting “gold standard” for evidence base medical research, are all barriers to research. The particular/ unique status of Medical Cannabis provides an opportunity for experimenting with different approaches to research and to empower citizens at participants as well as the benefactors of the outcome of the research. This section will explore the challenges associated with Cannabis research and propose a framework for Citizen Science informed research into the role of Cannabis in medical conditions. The approach is a test case for developing Citizenism approach to individual involvement in their political ecosystem. The Cannabis Citizenism research agenda is driven by the vision of optimal health care outcomes, builds on an understanding of medical practice, leveraging development in technology.

The current circumstances, provide an opportunity for a different way to study the risks and  potential for cannabis in the medical and wellness setting and to explore models for citizen driven science and ownership of the intellectual property that may emerge from systematized study. In order to achieve that result various challenges based on the unique biological, social, legal factors of the Cannabis landscape/ecosystem need to be addressed. Moreover, it has the potential profoundly disrupt medical practice, research and the ownership of healthcare. In the coming months we will explore the role of Citizen Science in expanding the knowledge base for cannabis in the medical arena.