Tulsa-area medical leaders, aware of the growing use of cannabis following legalization for medical purposes, hosted a series of researchers on Thursday for a conference at the University of Tulsa about marijuana research.
“Marijuana has been used for more than 6,000 years, but it’s been an illegal drug,” TU President Gerard Clancy, one of the program’s speakers, said. But once Oklahoma voters approved State Question 788 in June, Clancy said he — a longtime researcher of neuroscience — wanted to make sure medical professionals are ready to answer questions about and adapt to the newfound prevalence of legal cannabis in the state.
“Traditionally, there’s this pathway of development of procedure that goes through phase 1 and phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials,” Clancy said. “Then there are medical journals about it and there are continuing medical education conferences, and they get to learn about the new treatment long before it’s used. This has been the opposite.”
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The Laureate Institute of Brain Research in Tulsa sponsored the event and hosted roughly 500 guests at TU’s Lorton Performance Center, titled “Cannabis Conference: What We Have Learned Through Scientific Research.”
Among those who presented were Kent Hutchison, a doctor and professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder who studies cannabis; Jason Beaman, the chairman of the psychiatry and behavioral science department at Oklahoma State University’s Center for Health Sciences; and Terri White, the commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Clancy said he plans to, by request of students at TU, also teach coursework later this semester addressing the biochemistry aspect of cannabis use.
“This was an instance where the medical knowledge and science is behind the public. And we’ve got to catch up,” he said.
Hutchison discussed the results of studies he and his colleagues have conducted on how cannabis use affects the body. For example, he said he’s seen positive results associated with the use of cannabidiol, or CBD, and tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in equal ratios.
Susan Tapert, a University of California-San Diego faculty member and doctor, detailed her work about the risks of marijuana use on youth. One of her 2014 publications outlined how heavy cannabis use by minors can alter brain function and cognitive performance, but also warned more research is needed on that relationship as well as the relationship between simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use.
However, as LIBR president and scientific director Martin Paulus noted, marijuana’s status as a Schedule I controlled substance greatly limits doctors’ ability to meaningfully assess how it can benefit patients. While doctors have freedom to recommend using marijuana, they are unable to legally prescribe the substance, which means there is less oversight on a person as they attempt use for medical reasons.
“It was well-pointed out that while there are hints of progress, the rigorous control trials are not there yet,” Paulus said. “One of the things that’s obvious is the effect on operating heavy machinery like a car.” Referencing Hutchison’s discussion on the lack of adequate legal measures for cannabis intoxication, Paulus said “It is surprising how little we really do know about the effects (of cannabis) on driving.”
Clancy said there’s clear evidence, though, of the potential benefits of use with pain management. He said he’s learned THC can function in the body similarly to an existing natural neurotransmitter and can assist with chronic pain for some people in a way opiates cannot.
“I think on the medical side, there’s been a well-deserved frustration on certain treatments that just aren’t working,” he said.
Paulus agreed but said he would like to see more information about the interactions of cannabis on aging in addition to effects on minors. He also pointed out a significant portion of existing literature addresses recreational rather than medical use.
“It’s important to hear that we know a bit about the (endocannabinoid system.) But there’s lots we still need to learn, and the picture is not black and white,” he said.
