Thomas Jefferson University Announces Initiative to Study Health Outcomes in Medical Cannabis Patients
The Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University announced the creation of the mmj.org initiative in a press release on May 17 (1). The goal of the initiative is to bring together diverse stakeholders in the cannabis therapy space, advance scientific understanding of medical marijuana and its derivatives, and provide evidence-based resources for patients and their caregivers.
According to the press release, the mmj.org initiative is a national patient registry in which more than 100,000 medical marijuana patients will share their health outcomes to drive new understanding of the safety and medical utility of cannabinoids used as therapy. The registry will be the largest and most comprehensive clinical database yet accumulated in the field of medical marijuana. Patient recruitment into the registry will start early this summer via an online platform at www.mmj.org and with partnering patient and healthcare organizations and medical marijuana dispensaries across the country.
The mmj.org initiative is being managed through a public-private partnership between The Lambert Center and ioVita, a digital health company focused on technology to connect and empower patients living with chronic diseases.
"Millions of patients with chronic diseases are seeking health benefits from marijuana and various cannabinoids, and many are left to experiment with cannabis products on their own. These patients and their caregivers not only deserve our support, but they can help advance scientific understanding by sharing their experiences in a research registry designed with rigor and scale," said Charles V. Pollack Jr., MD, director of The Lambert Center, in a press release. "The mmj.org initiative aims to tackle complex issues related to medical marijuana. To achieve this, we are focused on patient needs, rigorous science, and engagement of all stakeholders-patients, healthcare professionals, and industry-critics and advocates alike.
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