ACS DE January Meeting - Cannabis as Medicine - Dr. Sara Jane Ward

"Cannabis as Medicine" SPEAKER: Dr. Sara Jane WardAssistant Professor of PharmacologyLewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University COST: $10, Students Free Reception 6:00 pmPresentation 6:30 pmHors d'oeuvres and cash bar will be available ABSTRACT Recorded medical use of Cannabis sativa dates back millennia. In the recent past of the mid-nineteen hundreds, research into the biochemistry and molecular pharmacology of the plant and its actions was just developing, while at the same time the Marijuana Tax Act was implemented and paved the way to legal and moral restrictions of its use medicinally and recreationally. Fast forward to today, where medical use of Cannabis is legalized in over 30 states and predicted to exceed 2.5 million users in the coming years. Moreover, the upcoming passage of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill and Hemp Farming Act will lead to hemp-derived Cannabis extracts nearly devoid of THC gaining an estimated market approaching 22 billion dollars in sales by 2022. While perceptions are mounting that medical Cannabis represents a viable treatment options for a wide range of therapeutic endpoints, both preclinical and clinical research must keep up with this wave to determine safety and efficacy of medical Cannabis products while also exploring potential benefits of synthetic cannabinoid-based pharmacotherapies. This presentation will cover a brief history of Cannabis as a medicine and the current knowledge surrounding safety and efficacy of natural and synthetic Cannabis-based compounds.