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Drug Science

Drug Science Symposium 'Cannabis medicines: from principle to practice. How can we maximise clinical research and benefits?'


a Jar of cannabis on a table next to a set of scales

  1. Meeting slides

  2. DrugScience report on medicinal cannabis

  3. DrugScience cannabis pre-review submitted to the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence

  4. Summaries of international and American medicinal cannabis licensing

The Chief Medical Officer and advisor to the UK government has recently agreed that cannabis is a medicine. It has now been removed from Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to Schedule 2 allowing doctors to prescribe it. But few are doing so at present, meaning that tens of thousands of people with chronic illnesses are still resorting to “illegal” sources for their supply. Barriers to its use include a lack of information on its efficacy, the challenge of obtaining certified supplies, and the requirement for specialist prescribing.


This DrugScience symposium is designed to move the field forward – from theory to practice. The conference is targeted at medical practitioners with an interest in working in this new field. We want to explore routes to implementation of medical cannabis such as the creation of special interest clinical groups that can work together using standard diagnostic and outcome protocols to rapidly evaluate the values of medical cannabis in real clinical settings. Our list of speakers constitutes a ‘who’s who’ of the British cannabis field, bringing together academics, policy makers, patient representatives, and thinktanks.



Speakers:


  1. Professor Philip Asherson – Professor of Molecular Psychiatry, King’s College London

  2. Professor David Baldwin – Professor of Psychiatry within Medicine, University of Southampton

  3. Professor Mike Barnes – Neurologist and Rehabilitation Physician

  4. Professor Steve Bazire – Honorary Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia

  5. Dr Rachel Coathup – Research Fellow, Department of Anaesthesia, University College London Hospitals

  6. Professor Val Curran – Professor of Psychopharmacology, University College London

  7. Hannah Deacon – Mother & Campaigner

  8. Rudi Fortson QC – Visiting Professor of Law, Queen Mary University of London

  9. Professor Eileen Joyce – Professor of Neuropsychiatry, The Institute of Neurology, University College London

  10. Jon Liebling – Political Director, United Patients Alliance

  11. Professor Rupert McShane – Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford

  12. Baroness Molly Meacher (co-chair) – Chair of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform

  13. Professor David Nutt (co-chair) – Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College London

  14. Steve Rolles – Senior Policy Analyst, Transform Drug Policy Foundation

  15. Willem Scholten– Medicines and Controlled Substances, Willem Scholten Consultancy

  16. Jeff Smith MP – Manchester, Withington

  17. Professor Adam Winstock – Consultant Psychiatrist and Addiction Medicine Specialist, Founder Global Drug Survey


The meeting is open to all interested but preference will be given to practising clinicians with an interest in working in this new arena


Who should attend


Doctors, Clinicians, General practitioners, Pharmacists, Other relevant healthcare professionals, CCG clinical leads, Manufacturers, Public & mental health professionals, Directors of health and wellbeing, Safeguarding children professionals, Members of parliament, People with lived experienc

This event is not funded by, nor does it have any connection with, industry or any commercial or political body. This event is held in association with United Patients Alliance

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