Robert Connell Clarke (born 1953) is an American agronomist and ethnobotanist, specialized in the study of the cannabis plant.
[11] In 1977, shortly after graduating, Clarke self-published his undergraduate research dissertation[7] under the title "The botany and ecology of Cannabis.
"[12] He would spend the following years continuing to research and publish on the topics of evolutionary and botanical history of the plant genus.
[16] Clarke is known for having studied a number of local varieties, cultures, and agricultural practices linked to cannabis in remote regions of the world in Southeast Asia, such as Nepal, China, Vietnam, but also in other areas of Africa,[17] Europe, the Americas,[5] and Oceania.
[19] In relation to this field work, Clarke has participated in the development of methodological tools for cannabis research.