Volume 2

Spotlight on Medical Cannabis Wellness Center

The medical cannabis dispensary Greenhouse Wellness (GW) in Ellicott City, Maryland, practices like a residency program and includes an on-staff physician, nurses, and wellness consultants who receive formalized training using best practices. “If you want to take cannabis seriously, then it needs to be approached as medicine, and we just didn’t see anybody else doing […]

The Science of the Endocannabinoid System

Monica Taing, PharmD, RPh, speaks to conference attendees at Columbia Universityin New York City New York, NY—“The endocannabinoid system [ECS] is a comprehensive and complex homeostatic balancing system with diverse potential therapeutic clinical implications in chronic conditions,” said Monica Taing, PharmD, RPh, at the inaugural meeting of Medical Cannabis: The Science. The Research. The Risks, […]

Opioid Wean With Medical Cannabis: A Case Report

By Leslie Apgar, MD, Medical Director, Greenhouse Wellness, Ellicott City, Maryland. We present a case report of a patient who was guided through 2 postsurgical opioid wean programs. The opioid wean after the first surgery did not include medical cannabis whereas the opioid wean after the second surgery did; the difference in symptoms is striking. […]

Medical Cannabis Reduces Opioid Use in the Tilray Observational Patient Study

Philippe Lucas, PhD(c) speaks to conference attendees at Columbia University in New York City New York, NY—Patients who initiate medical cannabis significantly decrease their use of opioids as well as other prescription medications at 6 months, according to data from TOPS (Tilray Observational Patient Study), presented at the inaugural meeting of Medical Cannabis: The Science. […]

Medical Cannabis: Bridging Science and Policy

Margaret Haney, PhD, speaks to conference attendees at Columbia University in New York City. New York, NY—Vast changes in cannabis public policy have occurred over the past 20 years with little scientific input, Margaret Haney, PhD, told attendees at the inaugural meeting of Medical Cannabis: The Science. The Research. The Risks, held at Columbia University.1 […]

Liposomal Cannabidiol Delivery: A Pilot Study

By Emek Blair, PhD, CELLg8 and Valimenta Labs, Fort Collins, Colorado. Introduction Although oral cannabidiol (CBD) formulations are increasingly popular, studies show that oral CBD has a much lower bioavailability than inhaled CBD.1 This study was designed to compare the bioavailability of 2 different preparations of oral CBD, withand without a liposomal delivery system. Puffin […]

Integrating Medical Cannabis Into Palliative Care

By Luba Andrus, RPh, Master of Jurisprudence in Health Law, Park Ridge, Illinois As the silver tsunami approaches and palliative care experts prepare for the rise in older patients, cannabis is poised to play a larger role in end-of-life care. With a growing number of states recently enacting medical marijuana and adult-use cannabis legislation, many […]

First Congressional Hearing on Cannabis Policy Reform

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held its first legislative cannabis hearing on January 15, 2020. The 3.5-hour hearing included testimonials from congressional representatives and key witnesses from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the FDA and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Although no policy changes were […]

Cannabis Substitution Reduces Opioid Use in Patients With Chronic Pain

In a large nationwide survey study (N=1321), my colleagues and I found that individuals using cannabis for chronic pain management reported reductions in the use of opioids and other pain medications.1 In our retrospective study, 53%(n=691) of participants substituted cannabis for opioids and 22% (n=287) for benzodiazepines, with more than 65% of substitutors reporting discontinued […]

Cannabis Curricula: Two Universities Pave the Way in Graduate-Level Education

As medical cannabis policy in the United States continues to rapidly evolve, medicaleducation struggles to catch up to legislation. To address these disparities, 2 universities are leading the way in developing graduate-level programs on medical cannabis. University of Maryland School of PharmacyThe University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore launched the first 2-year graduate […]