On November 15, 2019 Paul Stamets (legendary mycologist and researcher), introduced the launch of a novel micro-dosing study that will be delivered to participants via a smart phone application. It is said to be the world’s first mobile micro-dosing study. The app developed by Quantified Citizen provides a way for participants to take part anonymously in the study while at the same time providing sorely needed data. The research goal is to better understand the effects of micro-dosing psychedelics on cognitive performance and mental health. The project is being conducted by Dr. Zachary Walsh in collaboration with MAPS Canada and Quantified Citizen.
Those individuals interested in taking part in the study can go to microdose.me for more details.
The study is quite a novel in that it provides a means to gather as much data as possible without the usual constraints. For the very first time ordinary individuals can take part, and help provide much needed data for researchers who are on the forefront of micro-dosing research. Often there are far more volunteers then actual spots available in micro-dosing scientific studies. The reason being of course is that taking psychedelics is illegal in most countries. This scenario of questionable legality, makes it difficult for researchers to gather a large sample of actionable data. Since access to the drugs is limited, the studies have to work with a small sample size of participants. Small sample sizes of data understandably puts a constraint on the final results. The Quantified Citizen application will hopefully provide a much larger sample of data for researchers to work with.
This grass roots approach enables a much broader swatch of individuals to take part in and actually help shape the future of micro-dosing by volunteering to submit their own data. The study is to be applauded by taking the initiative and moving forward in a faster less red-tape clogged method. Certainly Paul Stamets is most likely aware that many people are already micro-dosing whether in Silicon Valley, or individuals working through depression or anxiety.