Navigating the Intricacies of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS): Understanding the Unseen Challenges

As the utilization of cannabis transcends traditional boundaries, encompassing medical treatments, recreational indulgence, and wellness pursuits, the profound impact of THC and cannabinoids on gastrointestinal physiology is coming to light.

If You’re Prescribing Opioids, Why Prescribe Not Cannabis First?

Don’t get me wrong. I am not part of the anti-opioid crowd. My only interest is in patient well-being which, of course, led me to practice cannabinoid medicine. I firmly believe that there are patients who need opioid medication. So the question really isn’t why are you prescribing opioids, but rather why aren’t you prescribing cannabinoids first.

Intoxicating Hemp Products: Why They Matter and Why They Don’t

Recently there has been a lot of discussion in various states about regulating or banning hemp-derived cannabinoids and intoxicating hemp products.  This has come up in part because these hemp-derived products are circumventing state-legal programs as well as posing public health risk due to lack of regulation.  Let’s take a look at why this is important and also where current focus misses the boat.

ACS Member Spotlight: Jesse Christianson, RN, Student

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Jesse Christianson, and I have been a registered nurse (RN) since 2016. Currently, I am in the final stages of completing my graduate studies to become an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), commonly known as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) for those unfamiliar with the terminology.

Don’t Smoke Your Medicine – Whole Flower Vaporize Instead

Whether cannabis is used in a medical or recreational context, doing so in the safest manner possible is paramount.  While there is good evidence that smoking cannabis is less risky than tobacco (1), it likely still poses some risk.

Ask Us Anything: A Student Education Forum

On March 26, the Association of Cannabinoid Specialists (www.cannaspecialists.com) hosted an event in conjunction with the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.  The event was career focused and used an Ask Us Anything template with questions submitted by students prior to the event.

The Endocannabinoid System: Slowly Unraveling the Unknown

The human body is a complex network of interacting systems, each with its own set of responsibilities. Among these intricate systems is the endocannabinoid system (ECS), a fascinating and relatively recent discovery in the field of neuroscience.

Is Delaware on the Right Track with Self Certification?

Recently, the Delaware House of Representatives, following ideas from Washington D.C., passed a law to do two things:  (1) remove the list of qualifying conditions from their medical cannabis laws, and (2) allow people over the age of 65 to “self-certify” that they need marijuana for medical purposes.

ACS Guidance to Hawaii on Anxiety Treatment

Dear Madam/Sir: I write to you to support the petitions before you to include anxiety, depression, and insomnia as qualifying conditions for medical cannabis treatment in Hawai’i.

Cannabis and Heart Disease: What Do We Really Know?

This week there has been a flurry of discussion about cannabis’ harmful effects on the heart.  I have received numerous anxiety-ridden emails from colleagues, patients, and my mother (she’s not on cannabis, go figure).  This all stems from a recently published scientific paper in the Journal of the American Heart Association. (1)

ACS Member Spotlight: Sandra Carrillo, MD, MHSM, International Chair

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

A: My name is Sandra Carrillo, and I am a medical doctor. I have had a clinical practice in Colombia for several years.  I am a specialist in cannabinoid-based medicine.

ACS Guidance to Massachusetts on Veteran Care

Dear Members of the Joint Committee:

As one of the senior cannabis physicians in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, President of the Association of Cannabis Specialists, Board Member of the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, and former VA physician I wish to convey some very specific concerns regarding House Bill 4274. Despite vocal advocacy by a few veterans, this bill is not in the interests of veterans or other patients.

ACS Response to JAMA article entitled Most Doctors Know Nothing About Cannabis

In an editorial in JAMA, Dr. Nathaniel Morris, a recent Stanford graduate, laments that even in California where medical cannabis has been available since 1996, no medical education on cannabis was provided to him during medical school or residency.

ACS Response to Oil (Vape) Pen Ban

The currently posed question of when or whether the embargoed oil cartridges can be released for sale has at least two separate issues embedded. First is the question of the safety of these particular cartridges, and the second is the safety of any such cartridges that use current technology. Both of these questions would reasonably need to be affirmed prior to sales.

Prescription Versus Recommendation of Medical Cannabis

Since the inception of medical cannabis legalization in California in 1996, physicians have only been able to write a “recommendation”. This was intended, at that time, to keep the practitioners out of trouble with the government by providing only a document stating that the benefits likely outweighed the risks. 

ACS – MCRAA Joint Comments on FDA Proposed Research Guidelines

The Medical Cannabis Research Advocacy Alliance (MCRAA) appreciates the opportunity to provide comments in response to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds: Quality Considerations for Clinical Research Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability 85 FR 44305 (July 22, 2020).

ACS Takes Issue with Wall Street Journal Advertisement

To Whom It May Concern at the Wall Street Journal:

We write to you to express a concern over a recent ½ page advertisement in the Journal.

ACS Letter To ONDCP Director Rahul Gupta

Dear Dr. Gupta:

Congratulations on the confirmation as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. We welcome your leadership as our respective agendas are to improve and serve the health of the American people.

ACS and MSNJ Letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland

Dear Attorney General Garland:

Subsequent to the letter sent to you, and to Secretary Becerra, by Senators Warren and Booker dated October 6, 2021 requesting that you exercise your authority under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA), we write to support their request and to support your pragmatic efforts to do so.

ACS and ASA Comments on Senator Schumer’s Cannabis Opportunity and Administration Act

Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Senators Booker and Wyden:

The below signed stakeholders are collectively parties that have an interest in or work with medical cannabis. We are committed to ensuring qualified physicians administer sound medical cannabis advice, that patients have access to high-quality, safe cannabis medicines, and that appropriate regulatory oversight is implemented to protect the integrity and value of cannabis medicine.

ACS Guidance to CDC on Pain Management

The Association of Cannabis Specialists would like to offer the following comments on the topic of acute and chronic pain management, per the CDC’s request.

Why A Medical Cannabis System Is More Important Than Ever

Now that recreational cannabis is rolling out in Massachusetts, why do we need a medical cannabis system anymore? The short answer is that patients are different from recreational users and have more complicated, precise needs that recreational sales are incapable of handling.

ACS Guidance for Dispensaries in Providing Care to Patients

The ACS believes that cannabis dispensaries play a vital role in providing care and products to patients.  Ideally, dispensaries provide access to high-quality, regulated, and tested cannabis in appropriate forms and for use in appropriate routes of administration to meet patients’ medical needs.

ACS Expectations of CME Requirements for Cannabis Specialists

Cannabis Specialists (MD, DO, NP, or PA if authorized by each state program) must keep up to date on the emerging data in the field. Their ability to provide medically appropriate, helpful, and safe treatment depends on being aware of new data in a field that, unlike many more established fields of medicine, is changing weekly if not more frequently.

A Federal Framework of Regulation for Medical Cannabis Use

While a patchwork of state cannabis laws exists, the lack of a unified, federal framework regulating medical cannabis places patients at risk, and undermines the relationships that doctors must maintain to ensure an effective and safe treatment paradigm.  Such a framework is both overdue and sorely needed for safe, optimized care of patients across the country. 

Navigating Cannabis Research: Deciphering 32,000 Articles

In recent years, the field of cannabis research has experienced an unprecedented boom, with a staggering 32,000 articles shedding light on various aspects of cannabinoid medicine.

ACS’s Guidance on Driving as a Medical Cannabis Patient

Many medications, like benzodiazepines, opioids, and antibiotics can lead to impairment.  We do not prospectively penalize patients who use these substances.  We expect that patients monitor their own impairment and not drive when incapable.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Turns 50 Years Old

“And even if medical science has changed its views on addiction, policies and social structures have been slower in following the science toward a public health-based approach.” - Dr. Nora Volkow, President of NIDA

Student Education Series: The Basics of Medical Cannabis

On January 30, 2024, the Association of Cannabinoid Specialists hosted our quarterly virtual Student Education Series.  ACS was proud to welcome Suraj Tandon, MD, FRCPC, DABIM as its speaker on the topic of Basics of Medical Cannabis.  To watch the full presentation, click here.

ACS Wants to Know: What Do You Know About Cannabinoid Medicine?

As a doctor, you may specialize in a particular area of the medical field, and as a specialist, you may know that education and study never truly end.  While doctors may be experts in their field of study, they should not limit their education to that field.