The Health Benefits of Cannabis and CBD
A Virtual Conversation with Drs. Mikhail Kogan and Joan Liebmann-Smith
Wednesday, March 23, at 7 PM EST on Zoom
Science Writers in New York is pleased to present Mikhail Kogan, MD (@KoganMD), medical director at the George Washington Center for Integrative Medicine and founder and executive director of AIM Health Institute, and Joan Liebmann-Smith, PhD, a medical sociologist and medical writer, who are the co-authors of Medical Marijuana: Dr. Kogan’s Evidence-Based Guide to the Health Benefits of Cannabis and CBD (Penguin Random House, October 2021).
The co-authors will speak with SWINY co-chair David Levine (@dlloydlevine) about understanding how marijuana morphed from the days of “Reefer Madness” to being hailed as a wonder weed; navigating the complex medical and legal world of marijuana; understanding the risks and benefits of THC, CBD, and other cannabis products; evaluating the pros and cons of inhaled and other routes of delivery: edibles, topicals, and even suppositories; finding a doctor who can recommend medical cannabis; choosing a reliable dispensary, and learning how to evaluate labels on cannabis products and discover cost-saving strategies since medical marijuana isn’t covered by health insurance.
Marijuana has been used for thousands of years as a medicine, but pot has been illegal in the United States for most of our lives. Almost all states have now legalized its medical use, and many consumers and physicians are exploring it as an alternative to conventional treatments. There’s substantial evidence that marijuana (cannabis) is a safe and effective treatment for chronic pain, chemo side effects, sleep and mood disorders, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease, among others. But there’s also misinformation about marijuana on social media. And most physicians have limited knowledge on the subject, while dispensary staff (aka “budtenders”) lack medical training.
Dr. Kogan, a renowned expert on medical marijuana, has found that cannabinoids (THC, CBD, hemp, and other cannabis products) can often be more beneficial, have fewer side effects, and be safer than many conventional medications, including opioids and other painkillers. But different ailments require different strains, doses, and routes of delivery. Medical Marijuana demystifies marijuana and other forms of cannabis in a user-friendly guide that will help readers.
About Dr. Mikhail Kogan
Mikhail Kogan, MD, is a leader in the newly established field of integrative geriatrics. He was the chief editor of the first definitive textbook of the field entitled Integrative Geriatric Medicine, published by Oxford University Press as part of Andrew Weil Integrative Medicine Library series, and he is frequent speaker at a variety of international conference on the topics of integrative medicine, geriatrics, healthy aging, as well as medical cannabis.
While Dr Kogan’s main medical cannabis expertise is in treating older patients and palliating symptoms at end of life he also treats a wide range of internal medicine problems from chronic GI problems to cancers where use of medical cannabis can be very beneficial.
Dr. Kogan currently serves as medical director for integrative medicine, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatric and Palliative Care, and associate director of the Geriatrics and Integrative Medicine Fellowship Program and director of the Integrative Medicine Track Program at the George Washington University School of Medicine. Dr Kogan is also the founder and the executive director of AIM Health Institute, a non-profit organization in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area that provides integrative medicine services to low-income and terminally ill patients regardless of their ability to pay.
About Dr. Joan Liebmann-Smith
Joan Liebmann-Smith, PhD, is a medical sociologist, an award-winning medical writer, and a medical editor. For the last 10 years, Dr. Liebmann-Smith has been a consulting editor for the dermatology service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She is a member of the American Medical Writers Association, Association of Health Care Journalists, and SWINY.
In addition to Medical Marijuana, Dr. Liebmann-Smith has written Body Signs: How to Be Your Own Diagnostic Detective (Bantam); Baby Body Signs: The Head to Toe Guide to Your Child’s Health, from Birth through the Toddler Years (Bantam); The Unofficial Guide to Getting Pregnant (Wiley); The Unofficial Guide to Overcoming Infertility (Macmillan); and In Pursuit of Pregnancy (Newmarket). Her articles have appeared in such publications as AARP Bulletin, Ms. Magazine, Newsweek, Redbook, Self, and Vogue.
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When:
Wednesday, March 23
7 to 8 pm EST
Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dhN9svM8SR2j-tcvRKpAyQ
