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Title
If you smoke pot, your anesthesiologist needs to know
08/01/2019

Their observations and initial research show that marijuana use may affect patients’ responses to anesthesia on the operating table — and, depending on the patient’s history of using the drug, either help or hinder their symptoms afterward in the recovery room.
If pot users indeed need more anesthesia, are there increased risks for breathing problems during minor procedures? Are there higher costs with the use of more medication, if a second or third bottle of anesthesia must be routinely opened? And what does regular cannabis use mean for recovery post-surgery?


anesthesia, respiratory, Doctors
Educating Physicians About Marijuana
06/16/2019

In 2016 surveys, just 9% of medical schools had documented content on medical marijuana in the Association of American Medical Colleges Curriculum Inventory, and 85% of 258 surveyed residents and fellows reported having no education about medical marijuana in medical school or residency. Presented at a 2017 meeting, a single-site study of 51 resident physicians found that 76% did not know which category marijuana belonged to under the Controlled Substances Act (marijuana is currently categorized as a Schedule I drug, signifying a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical uses), and 38% believed that medical marijuana was a prescription drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Other studies indicate that practicing physicians often have limited knowledge about marijuana’s health effects and want more training.”
That more than a third of the doctors surveyed in the small sample cited by Dr. Morris believed that marijuana is FDA-approved is shocking. I submitted a comment that was immediately published by JAMA. 
 


JAMA, Doctors
Unapproved CBD products may not be as safe as they seem
05/26/2019

Many producers of products containing CBD are making unfounded medical claims regarding their products’ ability to cure or alleviate many diseases and conditions.
The FDA has very strict regulations on such activity and has issued warnings to some organizations that are selling CBD products. Unfortunately, enforcement is rare. And products with very high CBD concentrations are widely available.


CBD, Doctors, Finn
Review of the public health risks of widespread cannabis use
04/08/2018

1. Legalizing cannabis has been shown to increase the rates of motor vehicle accidents.
2. Cannabis use is a risk factor for mental illness.
3. Inhaled Cannabis use is a risk factor for respiratory infections.
4. Cannabis use increases the rate of vascular disease. Cannabis is the third most often identified drug of abuse
5. Cannabis use during pregnancy has been associated with increased risk of adverse birth outcomes
6. Legalization of cannabis has been shown to increase cannabis exposure in the pediatric population.
7. Heavy cannabis use is associated with diminished lifetime achievements.
Doctors must educate the public about the potential harm cannabis causes with heavy, and possibly moderate, widespread use just as they do about the dangers of tobacco use. Tobacco use has declined in the United States in large part because of the knowledge the public now holds about its adverse effects, as opposed to legislative action.


Pregnancy, car crashes, mental health, pediatrics, Long-term, Doctors, Research, second hand smoke, smoking
The Illusion of Marijuana As Medicine
06/07/2017

First, dosing of smoked marijuana remains unpredictable. And although much of the medical marijuana debate centers on the effects of single exposures, insufficient information exists regarding the effects of repeated exposures. Approximately 10% of people routinely using marijuana become addicted, with a higher incidence amongst adolescents. Tolerance and down-regulation of receptors have been documented with repeated marijuana use. A marijuana withdrawal syndrome has also been recognized, as has an association with psychosis.


Doctors, bullying
Dangers of Marijuana Experienced Firsthand
05/15/2017

We should approach mass marijuana production and distribution as we would any other large-scale public health problem. We should do what we can to limit exposure, and we should provide clear, unbiased education. In the case of prevention efforts being unsuccessful, we need to provide immediate treatment and assistance in stopping use. If we are going to use this as a medication, then we should use it as we use other medications. It should have to undergo the same scrutiny, Food and Drug Administration approval, and regulation that any other medication does. Why are we allowing a pass on a medication that very likely would carry with it a black-box warning?


Colorado, Doctors, Roberts, black box warning
Commentary: Florida Amendment 2 is not about “medicine”
09/25/2016

Without clinical knowledge, we would have no way to assess the clinical effects of a patient’s therapy. Marijuana has yet to undergo clinical trials or even serious clinical research. Consequently, no comprehensive, clinical knowledge of so-called “medical marijuana” exists.
The typical pharmacist spends five or more years in school, interns for more than 2,000 hours, must complete two intensive licensing exams, and spends 30 hours a year in continuing education.
 


Amendment 2, Doctors, Weiss
Doctors to give Trudeau an earful for his marijuana legalization plans
08/24/2016

“While marijuana can cause anxiety and paranoia, addiction, decreased cognition, behavioural problems and impaired driving,” doctors said, Trudeau’s promise to legalize it means all they can do is try to persuade him to anticipate future health costs, introduce measures to protect public safety, and ensure there is appropriate surveillance of consequences.


Canada, Doctors
Arizona court to rule on medical marijuana immunity issue
05/08/2016

PHOENIX - The Arizona Supreme Court says immunity provided doctors under the state's medical marijuana law for certifying patients to use pot only applies to the medical certifications, not other conduct such as making false statements in documents.
The ruling Friday overturns a lower court's decision that upheld dismissal of forgery and fraud charges against a physician on grounds that he was protected under the medical marijuana's law immunity provision.
Dr. Robert Gear was charged in Navajo County after signing a medical marijuana certification for a police informant based on his examination but before receiving a year's worth of the patient's records.


lawsuit, Medical, Doctors, Arizona
ACOG: Doctors Should Urge Against Prenatal Marijuana Use
06/25/2015

Studies show that children exposed to marijuana in utero have lower scores on tests of visual problem-solving, visual and motor coordination, and visual analysis, compared with children not exposed to the drug, the report states. Prenatal marijuana exposure also has been associated with decreased attention span and behavioral problems. The nervous system of a human fetus can respond to the chemicals in marijuana within 14 weeks of gestation, and studies have shown that 14-year-olds are more likely to be marijuana users if their mothers used the drug during pregnancy.


Pregnancy, Doctors, Research
“Pot used to be pretty harmless, but it’s plenty dangerous today”
05/24/2015

Increased availability and decreased perception of harm drive youth use and lowers the age of initiation to drug use — the goal of an industry working to capture lifetime customers, despite known consequences for physical and mental health.  Youth exposures double the risk of addiction.


blog, Doctors, mental health, addiction
The Florida Osteopathic Medical Association Opposed to Amendment 2 Initiative
10/31/2014
Doctors, Resolution
Lawyers, not doctors, push medical pot: My Word
09/04/2014
Doctors, amendment
Bob Gualtieri, Drug Free America worry about broad medical marijuana language
08/21/2014
Doctors, amendment
Doctors' lobby officially opposes marijuana amendment
08/05/2014
Doctors, vote no
Medicine by public opinion: Where are the doctors?
07/30/2014
Medical, Doctors
New York Times Calls for Legalization of Marijuana, ASAM Strongly Objects
07/28/2014

 Stuart Gitlow, MD, president of ASAM and a board-certified addiction medicine specialist, called the paper’s stance “irresponsible” and “ignorant of the facts” that clearly place marijuana on the continuum of psychoactive drugs that trigger addiction and lifelong chronic brain disease.


Doctors, Medical, vote no, addiction
Problems With the Medicalization of Marijuana
05/20/2014

Because regulatory standards of the production process vary by state, the composition, purity, and concentration of the active constituents of marijuana are also likely to vary. This is especially problematic because unlike most other prescription medications that are single active compounds, marijuana contains more than 100 cannabinoids, terpenoids, and flavonoids that produce individual, interactive, and entourage effects.

No other prescription medication is smoked; concerns remain about the long-term risks of respiratory problems associated with smoking marijuana, which are a subject of active investigation.
5 THCis already available in a pill approved by the FDA, yet this form seems to be less desirable to those seeking medical marijuana; this may in part be because its euphoric effects are not immediate and cannot be reliably controlled, unlike smoked marijuana. 6

The current system of dispensing marijuana does not safeguard adequately against the potential for diversion and abuse.

 


Doctors, treatment, youth, Medical
Base Amendment 2 vote on fact, not emotion
05/18/2014

The Brevard County Medical Society (BCMS) opposes Amendment 2, the constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana for medical conditions; and further, the BCMS supports and adopts the following policy statements from the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM):  Read Article for details.


Doctors
Base Amendment 2 vote on fact, not emotion
05/18/2014
addiction, Doctors, amendment
Retired Yakima doctor faces charge related to medical pot
02/26/2014

Pill mills can become pot shops-  unethical doctors will find a new job!


Doctors, pot shops, pill mills
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