Doctor’s Help Reduce Negative Cannabis Stigma
This October I was lucky enough to attend my first Marijuana for Medical Professionals conference. I’m always excited to learn new ways cannabis is working for patients and this event did not disappoint!
Attendees enjoyed three glorious days of riveting lectures, plenty of coffee & tea, mouthwatering lunches, and a tour bus ride around beautiful downtown Denver.
Throughout the country, legalization is reducing the stigma against cannabis. In the healthcare sector, providers are seeing more of their patients turn to cannabis to treat their serious medical conditions. Unfortunately, some patients know more than their doctors about cannabis and this leaves those doctors in an uncomfortable position. It is MJforMD’s mission to change that.
The more educated the physician and staff are about medical cannabis the more educated the patient will be. Marijuana for Medical Professionals is an excellent opportunity for physicians, nurses, and support staff to come and learn from seasoned professionals and return to their practices energized and ready to blaze a trail.
Marijuana for Medical Professionals offers continuing education credits, the conference has been approved for 17.5 CME and 17.88 CNE credits. The wealth of information and trade secrets make this conference a must for anyone growing, dispensing, or producing cannabis products to maintain the upper hand in this growing industry.
The first day took us through a brief history of cannabis and an introduction to the endocannabinoid system by Dr. Joseph J. Morgan, the first Medical Doctor in Pennsylvania certified by the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine. Lezli Engelking spoke about standards for public health and safety, these standards separate legitimate businesses and the black market. Jay Kodah took us through a Certificate of Analysis and the importance of lab testing.
After lunch, just when we thought we were starting to understand this plant, Max Montrose of the Trichome Institute, shocked us back to reality. Montrose introduced us to interpening, the Art and Science of the Cannabis Sommelier: evaluating flower for total quality control, psychotropic effects, and variety type designation. He explained lab results can tell us a lot of things, but they cannot gauge quality. The art of Interpening is used in judging cannabis cups. Montrose offers classes to fine tune your interpening skills.
We learned about Cannabis Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics. Heard of a patient’s recovery from bowel disease using cannabis. Matt Kahl gave his harrowing story during a presentation on PTSD in vets.
Day two we dove into the science. Giovanni Marsicano, Ph.D. of Bordeaux, France gave a delightful keynote on CB1 Signaling in the Brain. Rueven Or, M.D. & Osnat Hazan, Ph.D. gave an update on the fast progressing research coming from Israel. Dr. Joe Goldstrich shared pearls from his practice, cancer care. Nurse Marcie Cooper discussed cannabis in hospice care.
It’s always exhilarating to hear Dr. Uma Dhanabalan. This event was no exception, her speech on Cannabis as an Exit Drug was eye-opening as always. High hopes she visits Oklahoma soon!
The final day Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D. joined us live from Israel via Skype. The grandfather of cannabis research isolated tetrahydrocannabinol in 1963. Dr. Mechoulam’s story is one you do not want to miss, be sure to check out The Scientist.
Dr. Regina Nelson introduced us to Signs for the Times. A foundation to create signs in American Sign Language relating to cannabis and the endocannabinoid system.
It was inspiring to hear to Uwe Blesching, Ph.D. Blesching’s book the Cannabis Health Index is a must have for anyone in the industry. It is an excellent point of reference as it lists hundreds of medical conditions and the research relating to cannabis and the treatment of each (its nearly 1,000 pages).
There were too many presentations to list. Overall the event was exceptional. Myself, a patient and layman, found the conference extremely informative and enjoyable. Each lecture was long enough to understand the subject and short enough to hold everyone’s attention. The presenters also took time after each unit to answer questions and were all very approachable and eager to help throughout the entire conference.
Marijuana for Medical Professionals next conference is at Cannamerica 2019. The event will be held May 17-19th at Enjoy Resort & Casino in Puna Del Este, Uraguay.