--- title: "Canada Legalized Weed, and It Could Be a Huge Opportunity for Scientists" description: "## Weed Research" date: "2018-10-17" modified: "2018-10-17" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/canada-legalized-cannabis-science" categories: - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "anandia" - "cannabis" - "Monsanto" - "the digest" --- # Canada Legalized Weed, and It Could Be a Huge Opportunity for Scientists ![Canada legalizing weed could be an opportunity for medical researchers who believe the cannabis plant could hold the key to promising new treatments.]() *\Image: Adobe Stock\* ## Weed Research Canada legalized cannabis for recreational use today, and stoners across the country [are rejoicing]() at the move, which opens up the sale of cured marijuana and derivatives, such as oils, in commercial shops. But the legalization isn't just a savvy policy decision in terms of tax revenue, tourism, and criminal justice reform — it's also, according to scientists, an extraordinary opportunity for researchers who believe the cannabis plant could yield promising new medical treatments. ## Pot Science A [worthwhile feature]() in the magazine *Science* leads with the story of Jonathan Page, an accomplished plant biologist who studied genes that affect oil production in the cannabis plant while living in Germany. When he returned to his Canadian homeland, though, Page hit a roadblock. He applied for a job at the country's National Research Council (NRC), and during an interview, he proposed studying how the cannabis plant produces cannabinoids, a class of compounds that act on the human body in complex ways. He got the job, but when he reported for work, his boss told him that the research project was a non-starter — because cannabis was officially illegal, the NRC couldn't study it. ## High Time Now that Canada has legalized cannabis, according to *Science*, the nation's scientists have an opportunity to lead world research on the cannabis genome and the plant's potential pharmaceutical uses, which could range from [pain management]() to [seizure treatments](). The move could also lead to [brain drain]() from countries that still block cannabis research, including the United States. In 2013, Page gave up his government position to start a cannabis research company called Anandia. Greg Baute, a researcher who bred tomatoes for Monsanto in California, left the U.S. this year to join the Canadian Anandia, where he now runs the company's breeding and genetics program. "There are these super basic, huge questions that need to be answered," Baute told *Science*. "You can do these really straightforward experiments and get these huge results." **Read More:** [What Legal Weed in Canada Means for Science]() \[*Science*\] ***More on cannabis research: [New Research Shows That Cannabinoids Can Help Treat Leukemia]()*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()