Treating a variety of illnesses and ailments—such as Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, Epilepsy, Arthritis, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease—with marijuana is becoming more and more popular. However, due to cannabis’s new and evolving status, many patients, as well as providers, are struggling to understand the range of effects that different cannabinoids can have.
In response to this growing need, PotBotics, a data aggregation and technology company, has developed PotBot, a phone app that allows users to identify the specific cannabinoid ratios and strains best recommended for their condition based on peer-reviewed literature and user reviews.
PotBotic CEO David Goldstein told R&D Magazine, “Patients and providers must learn a lot of new information, and the industry has moved on from the basic indica/sativa/hybrid way of thinking. This can be a very daunting task.”
Indica and sativa are the two different types of cannabis plants. Beyond having different physical characteristics, patients report different responses the each strain. Patients often report that indica strains are more relaxing, and this strain is usually associated with more bodily sensations.1
Sativa products, on the other hand, are said to come with a cerebral feeling, and are more uplifting and euphoric. However, there are very few cannabis strains that are of true indica or true sativa variety. Instead, most strains of cannabis are a hybrid of the two. 1
“As the legitimacy of cannabis’s medical purpose gained more traction, there was an inherent need to develop a way that new patients could better understand their own medication,” Goldstein commented. “PotBot lets users review the effects of their strains after medication sessions, as well as provides access to literature and research relating to the use of cannabis for treating their specific ailment.”
Despite growing acceptance, the medical marijuana industry is still facing some regulatory challenges. “The regulatory climate is growing at an increasing pace, especially as more and more research is conducted, but the track-and-trace issue is a huge challenge, and we are hoping to rectify that,” Goldstein said.
PotBotics’ newest product, RYAH, is the world’s first accurate dose-measuring vaporizer that, according to Goldstein, benefits the entire cannabis ecosystem. “The distributor dashboard allows for the filling of each cartridge to be carefully documented, and every cartridge receives its own unique code. This unique code is not just for the patient’s use during the medication process, but it also relays important information back to the fillers, such as cartridge use and reviews.”
Goldstein believes that as more research is conducted, we will start to see that patients from all demographics and cannabis experience levels are medicating for a variety of conditions.
According to Goldstein, the most important thing moving forward is data. “As legislation changes and makes the medicinal use of cannabis more accessible to patients, it is vital to be collecting and analyzing data. I see 2019 ushering in a new wave of studies and advances in the standardization of medication processes and data collection.”
Reference
[1] https://www.canabomedicalclinic.com/indica-sativa-hybrid/
