Marijuana and the unexpected connection to opioid use and deaths

Psychiatrist and palliative care physician Dr. Thomas Strouse is Medical Director of the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA. He is a fellow of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He has published and lectured widely and is board certified in Adult Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He is Chair of the Hospice/Palliative Medicine Test-Writing Committee for the American Board of Internal Medicine. Having seen both the benefits and risks of cannabis use, Dr. Strouse can speak on the emerging scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of cannabinoids in a variety of medical conditions and pain states, as well as epidemiologic evidence of legalized marijuana’s connection to a reduction in prescription drug use and opioid-related deaths. He can also address the current science about the adverse impact of heavy recreational cannabinoid use on brain development and mental illness expression in younger people.

Marijuana and addiction

Psychiatrist Dr. Larissa Mooney specializes in general adult psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. She is an associate clinical professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, where she serves as Director of the UCLA Addiction Medicine Clinic and teaches principles of evidence-based and integrated treatments for patients with addictive and co-occurring mental health disorders to psychiatrists in training. Dr. Mooney is a member of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) Executive Board of Directors and conducts clinical trials research at UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs. Her interests include development of pharmacological and behavioral treatments for addiction and advancement of substance abuse training for health care professionals. She can discuss the potential for marijuana addiction, including factors that may increase that risk, including a family history of addiction, genetics, psychiatric disorders and social factors. She can also discuss physical and mental health effects of marijuana use, treatment options for marijuana addiction, and differences between synthetic and traditional, plant-grown marijuana.

The acute and chronic adverse effects of marijuana use

Psychiatrist Dr. Karen Miotto is a clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Bio-behavioral Sciences and the Director of the UCLA Alcoholism and Addiction Medicine Service. She is frequently an invited speaker at national addiction meetings. In addition, she has published many professional papers and book chapters on substance abuse and pain management for addictive diseases. Her current research is on treatments for medication development for the treatment of addiction. She is the recipient of a career development award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to study treatment for GHB withdrawal. She can discuss marijuana’s acute adverse effects, such as anxiety and panic, as well as its chronic adverse effects, such as cannabis dependence, psychotic symptoms, impaired respiratory function and subtle cognitive impairment.

Marijuana use by young adults

Psychologist Steven Shoptaw is executive director of the UCLA Center for Behavioral & Addiction Medicine. A professor in both the Department of Family Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Shoptaw has conducted a series of clinical studies in community clinic settings, primarily on topics that involve developing and testing medical and behavioral interventions to treat substance abuse and prevent the spread of HIV. He works with a broad spectrum of partners from university, government and community settings. Shoptaw has worked closely with athletes and other young people struggling with cannabis use disorders and can speak about the effects of marijuana on the developing brain. “Marijuana is not an inert drug,” he says. “There are benefits to marijuana, and there are some real consequences.”