What Do I Need to Know about Marijuana?

Mahmoud A. ElSohly, PhD, is a pharmacologist known for his work on marijuana. He is professor of pharmaceutics in the school of pharmacy at the University of Mississippi where he directs the Marijuana Project, which grows pharmaceutical-grade marijuana for research. He is an expert in the processing, testing, and detection of drugs of abuse. Key Points Standard manufacturing conditions Sinsemilla and potency Rigorous scientific data missing Side-effects of marijuana Increase in potency parallels increase in ER admissions over time Next Up: Dr. Huestis on More on Executive Function

Marilyn A. Huestis, PhD, recently retired as chief of chemistry and drug metabolism at the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse but remains highly active in the field. She is a senior fellow at the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pa.; consultant to the US Department of Transportation; and serves on the Science Advisory Boards of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and National Families in Action. She is known for her research on how marijuana use affects driving and how exposure to parents’ marijuana use affects the developing fetus, breast-feeding newborns, and young children, as well as the new psychoactive substances. Key Points Marijuana toxicities Two major studies of use during pregnancy and breastfeeding show cognitive deficits in children by age 6 New Zealand study shows regular use lowers IQ What is executive function Next Up: Dr. ElSohly on What's Involved in Growing Research-Grade Marijuana

Michael Kuhar, PhD, chairs National Families in Action’s Science Advisory Board and recruited the scientists who serve on it. He is Candler Professor of Neuropharmacology at Emory University. Among many things, Dr. Kuhar discovered the mechanism by which cocaine causes addiction. He wrote The Addicted Brain and teaches an online Coursera course of the same name, which has been visited by some 300,000 people. Key Points Medical marijuana comes from the same plant recreational marijuana comes from FDA-approved drugs vs state-approved drugs Do medical societies endorse marijuana as medicine? Treatment for marijuana addiction Next Up: Dr. Huestis on Safe and Effective Medicines

Marilyn A. Huestis, PhD, recently retired as chief of chemistry and drug metabolism at the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse but remains highly active in the field. She is a senior fellow at the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pa. Here she explains how other nations do a better job of ensuring road safety than the US. Key Points Australia since 2004 has conducted random stops. Screen with oral fluid, confirm with oral fluid. You are not allowed to have these drugs in your body when you drive. Series of penalties. Don’t base it on impairment. Europe way ahead of the US in oral fluid screening. Germany - Doctor observes impairment, draws blood on site. Police officers can take the sample. Point of Contact Testing (POCT) (taken right where you are) Roadside tests. Probable cause. Canada Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) Next Up: Dr. Kuhar on Medical Marijuana

Marilyn A. Huestis, PhD, recently retired as chief of chemistry and drug metabolism at the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, but remains highly active in the field. She is known for her research on how marijuana use affects driving and how exposure to parents’ marijuana use affects the developing fetus, breast-feeding newborns, and young children, as well as the new psychoactive substances. Key Points US is not prepared for driving with marijuana on board. Huge issue and huge problem. In occasional users, 74% of THC comes out of the body in 30 minutes, 90% in 1.4 hours. Average time to get drivers’ blood drawn is 1.4 to 4 hours. Many states have zero tolerance levels such as 1 or 2 nanograms per milliliter. Establish impairment first, then take the biological sample. A-Ride Program (NHTSA) trains every police officer to do the field sobriety test. Also can establish impairment via witnesses. Next Up: Dr. Huestis on How Other Nations Ensure Road Safety

Marilyn A. Huestis, PhD, recently retired as chief of chemistry and drug metabolism at the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, but she remains highly active in the field. She is a senior fellow at the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pa.; consultant to the US Department of Transportation; and serves on the Science Advisory Board of National Families in Action. Here she relates what she and her team learned from studying how marijuana affects driving. Key Points National Advanced Driving Simulator Cannabis affects critical tracking Speeding is number-1 reason marijuana-impaired drivers are stopped Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) Next Up: Dr. Huestis on State Regulations to Ensure Road Safety