Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
As U.S. business and government continue to butt heads over medicinal cannabis, some educational institutions are turning to science to help elevate and inform the conversation.
Helping blaze the trail toward cannabis' acceptance in academia is none other than the University of Vermont, which now offers a range of college-level coursework and training on the plant through its Larner College of Medicine (no doubt home to some other 'berners'). Ranging from online modules to the traditional classroom setting, courses are designed to give students and professionals a thorough, evidence-based understanding of the scientific 'why' behind weed--no more, no less.
For the past two years, UVM students have been especially quick to partake of Pharm 200: "Cannabis Past, Present, and Future," the nation's first-ever 'higher learning' course on the science of medicinal cannabis (so close, UC Davis). Pharmacology professor and researcher Karen Lounsbury, Ph.D., who designed the annual class with co-teacher Wolfgang Dostmann, Ph.D., explained by phone that sticking to up-to-date clinical knowledge was critical to their mission, and to getting the three-credit course approved.
Under Vermont law, cannabis possession and distribution can still result in fines or prosecution outside of the medical space, and state regulations wouldn't allow Lounsbury's students to visit dispensaries. At UVM, like other academic institutions, research that involves cannabis materials also must first traverse a field of red tape, as required by federal law.
From the college's perspective, "The only requirement was making sure it was a serious, evidence-based science class," Lounsbury said. To establish both legality and legitimacy for the course, then, Lounsbury and her colleagues have focused on introducing fundamental concepts in pharmacology and key concepts in human physiology "underlying medicinal and other cannabis use."
That means molecular biology, neuroscience, chemistry, and physiology, all explained in relation to cannabis and the human body--relationships which, red tape notwithstanding, scientists are starting to know a good bit about.
As U.S. business and government continue to butt heads over medicinal cannabis, some educational institutions are turning to science to help elevate and inform the conversation.
Helping blaze the trail toward cannabis' acceptance in academia is none other than the University of Vermont, which now offers a range of college-level coursework and training on the plant through its Larner College of Medicine (no doubt home to some other 'berners'). Ranging from online modules to the traditional classroom setting, courses are designed to give students and professionals a thorough, evidence-based understanding of the scientific 'why' behind weed--no more, no less.
For the past two years, UVM students have been especially quick to partake of Pharm 200: "Cannabis Past, Present, and Future," the nation's first-ever 'higher learning' course on the science of medicinal cannabis (so close, UC Davis). Pharmacology professor and researcher Karen Lounsbury, Ph.D., who designed the annual class with co-teacher Wolfgang Dostmann, Ph.D., explained by phone that sticking to up-to-date clinical knowledge was critical to their mission, and to getting the three-credit course approved.
Under Vermont law, cannabis possession and distribution can still result in fines or prosecution outside of the medical space, and state regulations wouldn't allow Lounsbury's students to visit dispensaries. At UVM, like other academic institutions, research that involves cannabis materials also must first traverse a field of red tape, as required by federal law.
From the college's perspective, "The only requirement was making sure it was a serious, evidence-based science class," Lounsbury said. To establish both legality and legitimacy for the course, then, Lounsbury and her colleagues have focused on introducing fundamental concepts in pharmacology and key concepts in human physiology "underlying medicinal and other cannabis use."
That means molecular biology, neuroscience, chemistry, and physiology, all explained in relation to cannabis and the human body--relationships which, red tape notwithstanding, scientists are starting to know a good bit about.
In their inaugural run with the course in 2016, Lounsbury and Dostmann found the class had quickly filled up with students from numerous disciplines, as well as practicing physicians from around the area. "We even had a retired but still-lobbying state official in the course, and one assistant to a state legislator."
For their spring 2017 class, they decided to impose some prerequisites for the biologically focused course, while still leaving it open to undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students. As a result, not quite as many outside community members were enrolled, but the majority seem to have moved on to UVM's other cannabis educational offerings quite seamlessly, Lounsbury said.
Those offerings include a yearly cannabis Cannabis Science and Medicine Professional Certificate program, a Cannabis Speaker Series of online webinars, Community Medical School video presentations, and online, on-demand Cannabis Science and Medicine Continuing Medical Education (CME) modules.
The goal of all this, according to Lounsbury, is to equip students, professionals, and the Larner College medical community with scientific awareness of a plant which, after thousands of years of therapeutic use and over a century of U.S. prohibition, has started to (re-)gain the limelight in mainstream medicine. All the while, Lounsbury noted, new cannabis studies continue to roll out, suggesting a range of potential applications which clinical research must confirm or deny--hopefully along a time frame that helps patients sooner rather than later.
"We only really cover evidence-based medical results of cannabis use, but during certain classes, I'll also show a lot of videos containing patient testimonials on conditions it's helped with, from nausea to paid to PTSD, which are very convincing. But then I'll also show the clinical data behind these applications, and the meta-analysis of cannabis' clinical role."
"There's so much to be learned in this area, which can frustrate students, and a lot more research is still needed," she added.
In Lounsbury's Intro to Pharmacology course, she also includes a lecture on opioids and drugs of abuse, and addresses the basics of cannabis and THC, another major chemical component. In doing so, she references the plant's medicinal analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and compares its toxicology levels with alcohol, heroin, tobacco, and other drugs.
Because of the way cannabis is processed in the body, it may offer strong options for treating opioid patients, whether as a replacement pain-killer or simply a safer alternative. "Cannabis activates the same pathway in the brain, but not the same receptor, whereas with methadone, you're still on the same receptor," Lounsbery explained.
"It is addicting, but mildly so compared to opioids," she said (not to mention non-fatal). "Around 9% of users will become dependent on cannabis, and with opioids it's upwards of 40%."
She added, "Sometimes you have to take a small risk to beat a big one."
Considering the ongoing impact of the opioid epidemic, and cannabis' potential as both a major industry and a safer, often far cheaper treatment for various medical conditions, Lounsbery's small risk in bringing cannabis science to academia seems like the right kind to take:
Thoughtful, constructive, and evidence-based.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: In Vermont, Students And Lawmakers Are Getting The Facts On Cannabis
Author: Janet Burns
Contact: Contact Information
Photo Credit: University of Vermont
Website: {{meta.title}}
Helping blaze the trail toward cannabis' acceptance in academia is none other than the University of Vermont, which now offers a range of college-level coursework and training on the plant through its Larner College of Medicine (no doubt home to some other 'berners'). Ranging from online modules to the traditional classroom setting, courses are designed to give students and professionals a thorough, evidence-based understanding of the scientific 'why' behind weed--no more, no less.
For the past two years, UVM students have been especially quick to partake of Pharm 200: "Cannabis Past, Present, and Future," the nation's first-ever 'higher learning' course on the science of medicinal cannabis (so close, UC Davis). Pharmacology professor and researcher Karen Lounsbury, Ph.D., who designed the annual class with co-teacher Wolfgang Dostmann, Ph.D., explained by phone that sticking to up-to-date clinical knowledge was critical to their mission, and to getting the three-credit course approved.
Under Vermont law, cannabis possession and distribution can still result in fines or prosecution outside of the medical space, and state regulations wouldn't allow Lounsbury's students to visit dispensaries. At UVM, like other academic institutions, research that involves cannabis materials also must first traverse a field of red tape, as required by federal law.
From the college's perspective, "The only requirement was making sure it was a serious, evidence-based science class," Lounsbury said. To establish both legality and legitimacy for the course, then, Lounsbury and her colleagues have focused on introducing fundamental concepts in pharmacology and key concepts in human physiology "underlying medicinal and other cannabis use."
That means molecular biology, neuroscience, chemistry, and physiology, all explained in relation to cannabis and the human body--relationships which, red tape notwithstanding, scientists are starting to know a good bit about.
As U.S. business and government continue to butt heads over medicinal cannabis, some educational institutions are turning to science to help elevate and inform the conversation.
Helping blaze the trail toward cannabis' acceptance in academia is none other than the University of Vermont, which now offers a range of college-level coursework and training on the plant through its Larner College of Medicine (no doubt home to some other 'berners'). Ranging from online modules to the traditional classroom setting, courses are designed to give students and professionals a thorough, evidence-based understanding of the scientific 'why' behind weed--no more, no less.
For the past two years, UVM students have been especially quick to partake of Pharm 200: "Cannabis Past, Present, and Future," the nation's first-ever 'higher learning' course on the science of medicinal cannabis (so close, UC Davis). Pharmacology professor and researcher Karen Lounsbury, Ph.D., who designed the annual class with co-teacher Wolfgang Dostmann, Ph.D., explained by phone that sticking to up-to-date clinical knowledge was critical to their mission, and to getting the three-credit course approved.
Under Vermont law, cannabis possession and distribution can still result in fines or prosecution outside of the medical space, and state regulations wouldn't allow Lounsbury's students to visit dispensaries. At UVM, like other academic institutions, research that involves cannabis materials also must first traverse a field of red tape, as required by federal law.
From the college's perspective, "The only requirement was making sure it was a serious, evidence-based science class," Lounsbury said. To establish both legality and legitimacy for the course, then, Lounsbury and her colleagues have focused on introducing fundamental concepts in pharmacology and key concepts in human physiology "underlying medicinal and other cannabis use."
That means molecular biology, neuroscience, chemistry, and physiology, all explained in relation to cannabis and the human body--relationships which, red tape notwithstanding, scientists are starting to know a good bit about.
In their inaugural run with the course in 2016, Lounsbury and Dostmann found the class had quickly filled up with students from numerous disciplines, as well as practicing physicians from around the area. "We even had a retired but still-lobbying state official in the course, and one assistant to a state legislator."
For their spring 2017 class, they decided to impose some prerequisites for the biologically focused course, while still leaving it open to undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students. As a result, not quite as many outside community members were enrolled, but the majority seem to have moved on to UVM's other cannabis educational offerings quite seamlessly, Lounsbury said.
Those offerings include a yearly cannabis Cannabis Science and Medicine Professional Certificate program, a Cannabis Speaker Series of online webinars, Community Medical School video presentations, and online, on-demand Cannabis Science and Medicine Continuing Medical Education (CME) modules.
The goal of all this, according to Lounsbury, is to equip students, professionals, and the Larner College medical community with scientific awareness of a plant which, after thousands of years of therapeutic use and over a century of U.S. prohibition, has started to (re-)gain the limelight in mainstream medicine. All the while, Lounsbury noted, new cannabis studies continue to roll out, suggesting a range of potential applications which clinical research must confirm or deny--hopefully along a time frame that helps patients sooner rather than later.
"We only really cover evidence-based medical results of cannabis use, but during certain classes, I'll also show a lot of videos containing patient testimonials on conditions it's helped with, from nausea to paid to PTSD, which are very convincing. But then I'll also show the clinical data behind these applications, and the meta-analysis of cannabis' clinical role."
"There's so much to be learned in this area, which can frustrate students, and a lot more research is still needed," she added.
In Lounsbury's Intro to Pharmacology course, she also includes a lecture on opioids and drugs of abuse, and addresses the basics of cannabis and THC, another major chemical component. In doing so, she references the plant's medicinal analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and compares its toxicology levels with alcohol, heroin, tobacco, and other drugs.
Because of the way cannabis is processed in the body, it may offer strong options for treating opioid patients, whether as a replacement pain-killer or simply a safer alternative. "Cannabis activates the same pathway in the brain, but not the same receptor, whereas with methadone, you're still on the same receptor," Lounsbery explained.
"It is addicting, but mildly so compared to opioids," she said (not to mention non-fatal). "Around 9% of users will become dependent on cannabis, and with opioids it's upwards of 40%."
She added, "Sometimes you have to take a small risk to beat a big one."
Considering the ongoing impact of the opioid epidemic, and cannabis' potential as both a major industry and a safer, often far cheaper treatment for various medical conditions, Lounsbery's small risk in bringing cannabis science to academia seems like the right kind to take:
Thoughtful, constructive, and evidence-based.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: In Vermont, Students And Lawmakers Are Getting The Facts On Cannabis
Author: Janet Burns
Contact: Contact Information
Photo Credit: University of Vermont
Website: {{meta.title}}
