What do you think is the biggest public misconception about cannabis ? I believe there are a couple , one at each end of the spectrum : That it is entirely safe and that it is terribly dangerous . On the one hand , proponents for legalization often assert that cannabis is perfectly safe , i . e ., less toxic than alcohol . It is probably true that cannabis is less toxic than alcohol , but it is not true that it is perfectly safe . At the other end of the spectrum , there are people who say cannabis is the devil ’ s work or that it rots your brain and causes cancer . These claims are not true either .
We know that cannabis can affect your perception , make you drowsy and impact your reaction time — all factors that could impact driving if you are stoned . We also know that cannabis and THC impact memory , at least while you are stoned . So if you ’ re trying to study while high , chances are you won ’ t remember what you were trying to learn . The long-term effects of moderate cannabis use are subject to some debate . My own interpretation of the existing data is that there are few clearly documented long-term health effects .
How do you see cannabis legalization playing out in coming years ? It ’ s a great social experiment . The so-called War on Drugs has been going on for more than 40 years with an estimated trillion dollars spent , but if you look at usage patterns for marijuana , they have largely remained the same despite all of the time , money and effort to curtail its use . Hopefully legalization will move us away from the war and onto more positive and productive paths . Having said that , however , legalization could lead to a perception that marijuana is perfectly fine for everyone . But just like tobacco and alcohol , marijuana is not perfectly fine for everyone , and people should be wary .
What excites you most about the future of cannabis research ? As a physician , the most exciting thing for me is having new medicines that can help patients who haven ’ t found relief through existing remedies . Chronic pain is no fun , and if what you are taking isn ’ t helping or the amount you must take creates toxicity , it ’ s exciting to think cannabis may offer an alternative . Another aspect is the role cannabis could play in dealing with the opioid crisis . In states that have enacted medical marijuana laws , opioid-related deaths , overdoses and the number of prescriptions have decreased . Although we don ’ t know yet if this is a cause-and-effect relationship , we have heard from patients that they are able to decrease or replace opioids with cannabis as a less toxic or addictive alternative .
What is the role of CMCR in the future ? CMCR has been at the forefront of showing that cannabis is of value as a medicine . We ’ ve seen several medical uses , especially for neuropathic pain ( caused by damage or disease to the sensory nervous system , commonly associated with conditions like diabetes and HIV / AIDS ) and muscle spasticity in multiple sclerosis .
We also recently received funding from the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation to study how an active compound in cannabis , cannabidiol ( CBD ), may be helpful in treating specific autism symptoms in children . CBD does not produce the “ high ” feeling associated with cannabis , suggesting it may be safer than THC to use with this population . It has become more apparent that this compound has a number of effects on the body ’ s central nervous system , which we suspect may be helpful in treating autism . There have been many anecdotal reports of this compound helping children with epilepsy control their seizures , so we are excited to get this study going .
Looking further out , we would also like to study cannabis and the treatment of anorexia nervosa , post-traumatic stress disorder and early psychosis . Hopefully CMCR will play a role in making discoveries in these areas . We also see it as our mission to educate students , providers , the government and public with evidence-based information about medicinal cannabis .
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