The Research Initiative on Cannabis Consumption is seeking approval from the German government to recruit 25,000 pot smokers for a research study. The organization is hoping to conduct a “Scientific Study on Cannabis Sequences for Mentally Healthy Adult Consumers” in order to analyze the long-term effects of cannabis use.
The German government legalized medical marijuana for the seriously ill earlier this year, and the research team believes that now is the perfect time to research the effects of frequent long-term use.
“With the law implemented in March changing controlled substance regulations, the German parliament took on a new risk assessment of cannabis,” said Marko Dörre, attorney and executive of the project. “The new assessment will also benefit science.”
The researchers would prohibit anyone under 18, first-time pot smokers, and anyone with a high risk of addiction or psychiatric problems from participating in the study. If approved, the participants would be able to choose up to 30 grams per month of pharmaceutical cannabis usually reserved for medical marijuana patients. Although it is currently unknown whether or not German officials will approve the study, 2,000 people have already signed up for the opportunity.
“In Germany several million people regularly get high on cannabis,” Dörre said. “It is time that science becomes more engaged with recreational use.”
