Physicians, scientists,\nresearchers, clinicians, and lawyers will gather in NYC for a unique med ed conference\nfocused on the science\nand laws swirling around cannabinoids and cannabis products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why bother? The legal marijuana industry is doing just\nfine on its own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/sup> 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<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s apparently a fly in the CBD ointment. A clear and shared\nunderstanding of the science that supports cannabinoid and cannabis products,\npotential drug and disease interactions and risks, labeling, quality control, delivery\nsystems, and physician liability is lagging far behind the industry\u2019s rapid\ngrowth rate. Another area with only a marginal understanding is the endocannabinoid\nsystem, which introduces possible dangerous repercussions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To fill this knowledge gap, Havas ECS, founded by Havas Health & You, will host \u201cMedical Cannabis; The science. The research. The risks.\u201d on November 15 in NYC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/sup> Rob Dhoble, Managing Director of Havas ECS, offers a conclusion: \u201cThat means the majority of physicians haven\u2019t studied how marijuana impacts the endocannabinoid system.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the Up \u2018N Up or Up to No Good?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Havas ECS, by definition, collaborates\nwith clients in the pharma, wellness, health, and consumer areas on cannabinoid\nproducts and education, with a focus on addressing scientific and medical\nknowledge about cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system. So is their\nconference passively-aggressively\npromoting a client or really<\/em>\nattempting to objectively close the knowledge gap? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dhoble promises the latter \u2013 and he\ndoes point to tenable proof. The conference is co-sponsored by The American Journal of\nEndocannabinoid Medicine (AJEM), edited by Jahan Marcu, PhD, cannabis researcher and chief\nsecurity\nofficer (CSO) of the International Research Center on Cannabis and Health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe partnered with someone separate from us\nwhose entire professional reputation rests upon impartially reporting the facts,\u201d\nDhoble says. \u201cThat\u2019s\nwhat led us to Dr. Marcu. He\u2019s first and foremost a research scientist whose\nspecialty is cannabinoids and their effect on the human body. That\nincludes both good and maybe not so good news. Doesn\u2019t matter. If it\u2019s\nscientific research it goes into our medical education program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A shared commitment to educate\nwithout an agenda is why Dhoble believes AJEM, Dr. Marcu, and Havas ECS make an ideal team.\n\u201cWe\u2019re a promotional company and we\u2019re doing what we do best \u2013 promoting\nobjective, ongoing, impartial studies being reported in AJEM. Dr. Marcu informs\nour medical directors here at Havas ECS about updates to incorporate into our\nprogram so we stay on the cutting edge of science-based fact.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Highs and Lows<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the \u201cgood news\u201d 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the \u201cnot so good news\u201d concerns how cannabinoids may harm brain development in adolescents.5<\/sup> In addition, studies identify 333 drugs known to interact with cannabis, with 24 of those interactions labeled \u2018major\u2019 and dangerous.6<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you didn\u2019t study the human endocannabinoid system\nin medical school, do you know when cannabis might help or hurt a patient? Are\nyou keeping up with cannabis studies? Or do you still see marijuana as\nsomething that would have gotten you kicked out of med school if caught smoking\nit?\u201d Dhoble asks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you\u2019re not keeping up with\nthe latest cannabis research, are your patients losing out? \u201cWhere does a\nparent go to find out if their child might benefit from CBD to treat seizures?\nWhere does a patient go to find a doctor who understands if cannabis might help\nget them through chemotherapy? Our mission is not to promote THC, CBD, or any\nproduct for that matter,\u201d Dhoble says. \u201cOur mission is to make it easier to\nfind physicians who are educated in all body systems, including the little\nknown endocannabinoid\nsystem, and how or if cannabis impacts these systems. It\u2019s up to the\ndoctor to prescribe the treatment \u2013 hopefully based on objective clinical\nevidence.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the program, will\nattendees go home diehard cannabis fans? Probably not. There\u2019s still much research to be done and a\nwicked stigma to reverse, Dhoble admits. But he does hope that minds will open.\n\u201cWestern medicine and pharmaceuticals only take us so far. Cannabis cannot\ncure everything. The answer is individualized, integrated care by a team of\nphysicians who understand all the body\u2019s systems and how to use\nover-the-counter to it\u2019s maximum and prescription to it\u2019s maximum.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s close with one final word. Medgoo.com is not endorsing this conference. It hasn\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Resources <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) McVey, E. (2019, May 30). Exclusive: US retail marijuana sales on pace to rise 35% in 2019, hit $28B by 2021. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) Cowen Research. (2019, February 25). Collective View of CBD. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 3) Home. (n.d.). <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 4) Administrator. (n.d.). Survey Shows Low Acceptance of the Science of the ECS (Endocannabinoid System). <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 5) Weir, K. (2015, November). Marijuana and the Developing Brain. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n