BY RUTH HILL R.N.
Medicinal Genomics, (MCG), founded by Kevin McKernan, developed trailblazing technologies to prioritize cannabis safety through genetics. MCG created CannMed Events, a yearly event to prioritize cannabis science, innovation, and collaboration – to advance the industry and improve patient care. They showcase the greatest minds in cannabis science, medicine, cultivation, and safety.
Since 2016, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, Dr. Bonni Goldstein, Dr. Dustin Sulak, Dr. Debra Kimless, and Mara Gordon, have chosen CannMed to announce their latest findings and breakthrough technologies to the world. The cannabis industry is anticipated to exceed $500 Billion by 2028. This year’s conference was held at the Pasadena Convention Center this past week.
To say I was in heaven at this conference last week is an understatement. Walking in the halls next to these great leaders in mentoring medical cannabis use was like walking in the halls of Teachers College, Columbia University (TCCU) New York City when I was in graduate school for nursing. TCCU has been the embodiment of nursing education since 1899. While I attended in 1976, I could feel the ghost of my nursing ancestors.
Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, the father of the endocannibal system (ECS), gave a lecture from Israel, on research into chemicals that mimic delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol, a topic way over my head. Dr. Bonnie Goldstein, pediatric cannabis specialist, discussed her research on children with Autism. She demonstrated how medical cannabis reduced symptoms by measuring the child’s biomarkers for pain, agitation, aggression, and social interaction with and without cannabis. Her research is groundbreaking.
Many authors of the cannabis books I have were present. Ethan Russo, MD founder/CEO of CReDO Science discussed Cannabis and Psychiatry: The Final Frontier. There are many pharmaceuticals that do not adequately treat PTSD, bipolar, schizophrenia, anxiety, and addiction. Can cannabis help? Cannabis coupled with a pharmaceutical enhances compliance.
Seth Crawford, PhD, and Grace Bandong discussed organic cultivation and testing for contaminants. These discussions were also over my head, but the science of growing and testing cannabis is advancing like in other plants we eat daily. Cynthia Bryant, Chief Business Officer of Demetrix, uses biotechnology to produce high-purity cannabinoids for consumer and R&D applications. She discussed their first product to market and how cannabinoids are safe and efficacious (a medical term for effectiveness).
Dr. Jeff Chen’s research studied thirteen cannabinol (CBD) products involved with nearly 3000 diverse participants and assessed validated outcome measures of well-being, quality of life, pain, sleep, and anxiety, while tracking usage behavior and side effects. Dustin Sulak, DO, founder of Healer.com, Eloise Theisen NP AGPCNP-BC, Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer of Radicle Health, discussed their experiences educating, and consulting patients on how to take medical cannabis for a plethora of symptoms and diseases.
Staci Gruber. PhD, from McLean Hospital Brain Imaging Center Harvard Medical School, recognized the importance of examining the impact of medical marijuana use on the brain, as there are many inherent differences between recreational and medical marijuana users. In 2014, Dr. Gruber launched Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND), the first ever program of its kind designed to clarify the specific effects of medical marijuana use.
Michelle L. Shuffett, MD Consultant, Scientific Research & Clinical Communications, was concerned about the high frequency of opioid use in the peripheral neuropathy population. Dr. Shuffett’s research tracked patients and showed a reduction in narcotic use with medical use of cannabis. Patients who reduced narcotics did not increase their THC dosage over this time period, which indicates physicians are not replacing one psychoactive product for another.
I could go on and on with Martin A Lee the Director, of Project CBD, Dr. Sid Taubenfeld
Registered Pharmacist, David Meiri, PhD who heads the Laboratory of Cancer Biology &
Cannabinoid Research – Technion, but would not have room for everything I saw and heard. Suffice it to say cannabis research is markedly advanced and expanding. We have children out there with intractable (a medical term for no treatment) seizures taking 1000 mg of THC to reduce their seizures from 40/day to 2/month. Is anyone left out there who thinks cannabis is addictive and harmful?
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