Physicians, scientists, researchers, clinicians, and lawyers will gather in NYC for a unique med ed conference focused on the science and laws swirling around cannabinoids and cannabis products.
Why bother? The legal marijuana industry is doing just fine on its own.
According to the 2019 Marijuana Business Factbook, medical and recreational cannabis retail sales in the U.S. should hit $12 billion by the end of 2019 and reach $30 billion by 2023.1 Specific to CBD products, a study conducted by the New York-based investment bank Cowen & Co. puts sales between $600 million and $2 billion in 2018 and an amazing $16 billion by 2025.2
There’s apparently a fly in the CBD ointment. A clear and shared understanding of the science that supports cannabinoid and cannabis products, potential drug and disease interactions and risks, labeling, quality control, delivery systems, and physician liability is lagging far behind the industry’s rapid growth rate. Another area with only a marginal understanding is the endocannabinoid system, which introduces possible dangerous repercussions.
To fill this knowledge gap, Havas ECS, founded by Havas Health & You, will host “Medical Cannabis; The science. The research. The risks.” on November 15 in NYC.
A core reason for this program is the fact that only 13 percent of American medical schools offer instructional material on the human endocannabinoid system, a biological system that regulates many aspects of human health and is connected throughout the brain and major organs.4 Rob Dhoble, Managing Director of Havas ECS, offers a conclusion: “That means the majority of physicians haven’t studied how marijuana impacts the endocannabinoid system.”
On the Up ‘N Up or Up to No Good?
Havas ECS, by definition, collaborates with clients in the pharma, wellness, health, and consumer areas on cannabinoid products and education, with a focus on addressing scientific and medical knowledge about cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system. So is their conference passively-aggressively promoting a client or really attempting to objectively close the knowledge gap?
Dhoble promises the latter – and he does point to tenable proof. The conference is co-sponsored by The American Journal of Endocannabinoid Medicine (AJEM), edited by Jahan Marcu, PhD, cannabis researcher and chief security officer (CSO) of the International Research Center on Cannabis and Health.
“We partnered with someone separate from us whose entire professional reputation rests upon impartially reporting the facts,” Dhoble says. “That’s what led us to Dr. Marcu. He’s first and foremost a research scientist whose specialty is cannabinoids and their effect on the human body. That includes both good and maybe not so good news. Doesn’t matter. If it’s scientific research it goes into our medical education program.”
A shared commitment to educate without an agenda is why Dhoble believes AJEM, Dr. Marcu, and Havas ECS make an ideal team. “We’re a promotional company and we’re doing what we do best – promoting objective, ongoing, impartial studies being reported in AJEM. Dr. Marcu informs our medical directors here at Havas ECS about updates to incorporate into our program so we stay on the cutting edge of science-based fact.”
The Highs and Lows
Some of the “good news” being reported at the conference turns to widely discussed potential benefits of medical cannabinoids and cannabis products, including controlling pain, muscle spasms, seizure disorders, and nausea from cancer chemotherapy.
Some of the “not so good news” concerns how cannabinoids may harm brain development in adolescents.5 In addition, studies identify 333 drugs known to interact with cannabis, with 24 of those interactions labeled ‘major’ and dangerous.6
“If you didn’t study the human endocannabinoid system in medical school, do you know when cannabis might help or hurt a patient? Are you keeping up with cannabis studies? Or do you still see marijuana as something that would have gotten you kicked out of med school if caught smoking it?” Dhoble asks.
And if you’re not keeping up with the latest cannabis research, are your patients losing out? “Where does a parent go to find out if their child might benefit from CBD to treat seizures? Where does a patient go to find a doctor who understands if cannabis might help get them through chemotherapy? Our mission is not to promote THC, CBD, or any product for that matter,” Dhoble says. “Our mission is to make it easier to find physicians who are educated in all body systems, including the little known endocannabinoid system, and how or if cannabis impacts these systems. It’s up to the doctor to prescribe the treatment – hopefully based on objective clinical evidence.”
At the end of the program, will attendees go home diehard cannabis fans? Probably not. There’s still much research to be done and a wicked stigma to reverse, Dhoble admits. But he does hope that minds will open. “Western medicine and pharmaceuticals only take us so far. Cannabis cannot cure everything. The answer is individualized, integrated care by a team of physicians who understand all the body’s systems and how to use over-the-counter to it’s maximum and prescription to it’s maximum.”
Let’s close with one final word. Medgoo.com is not endorsing this conference. It hasn’t even happened yet! But there is something to be said for looking behind the hype, the stigma, the naysayers and yes, even the fanatical fans. Any effort to deliver med ed from an objective perspective is probably worth following.
Resources
2) Cowen Research. (2019, February 25). Collective View of CBD.
5) Weir, K. (2015, November). Marijuana and the Developing Brain.
