MEDICAL MARIJUANA: A CLINICAL HANDBOOK Provides Readers the Most Up-to-Date Insights on the Science of Cannabis and Its Medicinal Use

NEW YORK, July 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new textbook, Medical Marijuana: A Clinical Handbook (Wolters Kluwer, September 2020), provides an objective look at the history and science of the plant and strips away the cultural and political baggage that often clouds any meaningful examination of cannabis's therapeutic value.

The authors, Drs. Samoon Ahmad and Kevin P. Hill, wrote the book to provide clinicians with the most accurate information available on cannabis and empower them to give their patients the best advice on treatment. Cannabis continues to be the single most misunderstood plant on Earth. It has been cultivated and used for thousands of years yet remains not just enigmatic but deeply polarizing.

"Both sides of the argument often fail to see through the fog of the culture war, and both sides are at times guilty of being more intent on winning a political argument than approaching the issue with a clear head and an agenda couched solely in the tradition of empiricism and science," Drs. Ahmad and Hill write in Medical Marijuana. "This book hopes to change that."

Both authors have extensive clinical experience and impressive resumes. Dr. Hill is an addiction specialist and currently Director of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University, and author of Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth About the World's Most Popular Weed. Dr. Ahmad is a practicing physician in New York City, Founder of the Integrative Center for Wellness, and a Professor of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He has also written extensively about PTSD and coauthored multiple books, including recent editions of Kaplan & Sadock's Pocket Handbook of Clinical Psychiatry and Kaplan & Sadock's Pocket Handbook of Psychiatric Drug Treatment.

The authors focus on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the intoxicating substance in cannabis and typically the focal point of medical marijuana programs. They also examine the relevant science on many other cannabinoids found in the plant, especially cannabidiol (CBD). Included in the book is detailed analysis of local and federal laws governing the use of cannabis and a state-by-state guide for clinicians and patients. They have also created a companion website, cannabistextbook.com, that will monitor changes to local, state, and federal regulations as they occur, and share recently published cannabis-related research.

"This timely medical marijuana clinical handbook is the most comprehensive and best book on the topic in my opinion," said Stephen Ross, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Addictive Disorders and Experimental Therapeutics Research Laboratory at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. "Excellently written, the book provides an enormous amount of concise and clinically relevant information on everything related to medical cannabis including historical and regulatory aspects, the dizzying diversity of the many cannabis constituent components, review of the endocannabinoid system, relevant pharmacology, therapeutic preparations and the existing and potential clinical applications of medical cannabis throughout medicine, psychiatry and neurology."

The book enables clinicians to easily find information that is pertinent to specific body systems and disciplines. It also provides a wealth of information about the plant itself. The book begins by examining its classification, morphology, history and constituents. It then moves on to a cultural history of cannabis in the United States to provide a context for the regulations and laws currently governing its use. The book then describes the body's endocannabinoid system and the pharmacological profile of CBD and THC before moving on to specific applications for cannabis in specialty practices such as:

• Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Gastroenterology
• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Gynecology
• Rheumatology
• Internal medicine
• Ophthalmology
• Hepatology
• Dermatology

Finally, the authors describe the dangers of excessive cannabis use and potential adverse effects.

"It is our hope that we can eliminate unwarranted stigmas that continue to hound this quirky plant and to dispel any notions that cannabis is either a miracle drug or the devil's weed," the authors write. "If nothing else, we hope to provide our peers in the medical community with some degree of clarity so that they can make decisions based on the best available evidence and pass on accurate information to [their] patients."

About the Authors

Samoon Ahmad, M.D. is Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and serves as Unit Chief of Bellevue Medical Center's Inpatient Unit. A practicing physician for over twenty-five years, Dr. Ahmad has dedicated his professional life to helping individuals find balance in their mental and physical well-being. He founded the Integrative Center for Wellness to execute his innovative vision of incorporating psychiatric treatments with holistic therapies—including nutritional therapy, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, and plant-based medicines—to emphasize wellness of both the body and the mind. He specializes in treating patients with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, stuttering, and weight management issues.

Kevin P. Hill, M.D., M.H.S. is an addiction psychiatrist and Director of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hill has conducted clinical research and written on a wide variety of topics including medical cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD), and addiction to alcohol, cannabis, and opioids. As a leading cannabis expert, he has spoken nationally and appeared often on radio and television on the topics of cannabis policy and treatment, offering a balanced, evidence-based stance on these issues.

Reviews

"Drs. Ahmad and Hill are to be congratulated on producing a book that is a complete and thorough guide to cannabis, is most timely and highly informative, and will appeal to a large audience."

-Benjamin Sadock, MD, Menas S. Gregory Professor of Psychiatry at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health

 "This timely medical marijuana clinical handbook is the most comprehensive and best book on the topic."

-Stephen Ross, MD, Director of the Addictive Disorders and Experimental Therapeutics Research Laboratory and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine

"The authors have written an extremely comprehensive book that will give readers
a more nuanced appreciation of cannabis. This includes its potential therapeutic value, its effects on the endocannabinoid system, and the parts it has played in cultures throughout the world."

-Joyce Cenali, Founding Partner & COO of Big Rock Partners, a strategic advisory firm

 "Though written primarily for healthcare practitioners and clinicians,
anyone hoping to gain a greater understanding about cannabis and its therapeutic applications
will find this work extremely informative and helpful."

-Marion Mariathasan, CEO of Simplifya, the leading regulatory and compliance software platform serving the cannabis industry

Medical Marijuana: A Clinical Handbook
By Samoon Ahmad, M.D., and Kevin P. Hill, M.D., M.H.S.

Publisher: Wolters Kluwer
Publication Date: September 2020
Price: $69.99
ISBN: 9781975141899 

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Kimberly Macleod
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Joe Flattery
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