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Q: What is your role in the Cannabis Industry?
A: I am a physician, activist, advocate and most importantly I’m an educator.
Q: Will you elaborate on those distinct roles?
A: Since the company I created in 2006, Global Health and Hygiene Solutions, my mission has been to promote wellness and prevent illness. And since I learned about Cannabis I’ve incorporated this as a tool to all my patients for the past 6 years. As a physician, I truly believe that Cannabis is not and entrance drug; it is an exit drug from pharmaceuticals and narcotics. While Cannabis is not for everyone, it should be a first line option and not the last resort. Currently, Cannabis is in Schedule I, since 1970, along with LSD, heroin and ecstasy, meaning it has no medical use and no research and a potential for abuse hence federally illegal. Therefore, there are not many incentives for more Dr. Uma’s. Many healthcare providers work for institutions paid by a federal entity therefore, in many cases, they cannot recommend, educate and properly advise the patient about proper care. So the patient suffers in addition to the out of pocket cost (no insurance coverage). Also, healthcare providers are not being properly educated about the endocannabinoid system (ECS) due to the scheduling. Only about 15% of medical schools teach about the ECS. As an activist and advocate I: promote education to everyone and that, Cannabis has never killed anyone from an overdose in the world, Cannabis was prescribed by doctors in the Unites States of America (U.S.A) and was in the pharmacopeia [an official publication containing a list of medical drugs with their effects and directions for their use] from 1850-1942 and the U.S.A has patent #6630507 issued October 7th, 2003 for Cannabinoids as an antioxidant and neuroprotectant. We are facing an opioid epidemic but yet addiction rates for Cannabis is 9%, the same as caffeine. But that’s a whole other conversation.
Q: How do you educate others?
A: I do it [educate] wherever I go. It’s about changing the stigma. I first define the word stigma, a set of negative or unfair beliefs that a group of people or society has against something. And that something is Cannabis. I speak all over the world. I conduct a monthly patient/caregiver support group meeting that I created in November 2014. It’s open to the public held at the BFW in Natick, Massachusetts. To attend contact www.totalhealthcarethc.com. My mission is to educate, embrace and empower which we have been doing at our practice, Uplifting Health and Wellness. All my patients know about the endocannabinoid system, the risks and benefits and the two primary strains. We embrace Cannabis as an option because it’s about harm reduction. And we empower our patients through self-care and understanding that Cannabis is one tool. We discuss medication, nutrition, exercise and mindfulness using the principals I follow.
Changing The Stigma
An Interview with Dr. Uma Dhanabalan
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