Hemp Discussion On Hump Day: Medical Cannabis Event Set To Take Place Off Campus

Ron Strider

Well-Known Member
Today, the PA Medicinal Cannabis Education Tour will be taking place a few miles off of Penn State campus, at State College's Celebration Hall.

Attendees and healthcare professionals will learn about the underlying science pertaining to the pharmacologic and therapeutic options associated with cannabis and current state laws surrounding the drug.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with the event coming to an end around 7:30 p.m.. The price of the event is $55 per person, but sponsors Greenhouse Ventures and Thomas Jefferson University are providing students with a $20 discount with a discount code on Greenhouse Ventures' website.

According to event coordinators, the tour is known for its accredited physicians, physician assistants, nurses and pharmacists with Continuing Education credits provided by the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University.

Some stops have included Philadelphia, Allentown and Pittsburgh, resulting in educating 200 healthcare professionals thus far.

"Students are encouraged to attend because this industry is largely in the hands of future doctors and medical professionals," Operations Manager at Greenhouse Ventures Tyler Dautrich said. "Unfortunately there is a percent of current physicians who will not recommend this medicine for one reason or another, and they are too far along in their careers to change their ways."

Dautrich said if the new generation of medical professionals can receive the proper education on medical cannabis, it could lead to patients receiving easier access to safe and legal medicine.

"If students continue to be misinformed on this medicine, we will continue to be stuck in the same cycle we are in now," Dautrich said.

He said the tour's main mission is to educate Pennsylvania healthcare professionals; however, this event is still open to members of the public because information on medical cannabis use has not been readily available to the public, or healthcare professionals, until recently.

"Due to the decades of false advertisements of the negative side effects of medical cannabis, many people still do not believe that this plant can provide legitimate medical value," Dautrich said.

Pennsylvania's first Medical Marijuana Program was implemented and signed into law on April 17, 2016, but it is still not regarded as a mainstream form of medicine by many leading professionals.

"Pennsylvania is positioned to be the medical cannabis capital of the country, given the provisions within PA's law that allows for eight special permits to be used for clinical research studies," Co-Founder CEO of Greenhouse Ventures, Kevin Provost, said.

In order for the state to reach what Provost calls its "medical cannabis potential," he said there needs to be a collaboration between universities and private companies, like Greenhouse Ventures, who both understand the importance of educating healthcare professionals when attempting to bring a medical cannabis industry online here in Pennsylvania.

"Cannabis, used as medicine, requires education that starts with the scientific and healthcare communities, but that knowledge ultimately needs to end up in the hands of patients," Provost said. "Students and members of the general public can expect to walk away from the Medicinal Cannabis Education Tour with a better understanding of how Pennsylvania's medical cannabis program may potentially impact their own personal pain management and health care decisions."

Along with students and members of the public learning about the future of the drug, this will allow students to network with professionals and companies involved with the industry.

"Exhibitors are important because it shows attendees, whether healthcare professionals or the general public, more of the entire industry," Dautrich said. "Many people don't realize all the different products and services that are offered and needed in this industry."

Dautrich said it's not just your stereotypical "stoners" that are in the industry, like some people might think.

Penn State students that may be looking to go into the medical field are also high encouraged to come out and learn about this emerging industry.

"Students specifically are going to be the next generation of folks running this business so it is important to teach them about it early on," course instructor Sara Jane Ward, who earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Wake Forest University, said. "Come in with an open mind and come in expecting to ask a lot of questions."

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Full Article: Hemp discussion on hump day: Medical cannabis event set to take place off campus | Borough | collegian.psu.edu
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