#61 How Cannabis Can Be Effective for Cancer Pain

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February 1, 2023 • 33 mins

"Dr. Worcester On The Role Of Big Pharma In Cannabis Research & Education For Cancer Pain Management"

icon Summary/Abstract

Dr. Brooke Worster is the Chief Medical Advisor at Ethios and a cancer pain specialist. She is also a cannabis researcher at Thomas Jefferson University in Pennsylvania. On the show, she discussed her background in pain management and how she got interested in cannabis research. She explained how cannabis is often recommended to her patients, either by their family members, caregivers, or friends. However, the medical community doesn't pay much attention to the positive side of cannabis. She is working to change that and to provide more resources to people interested in cannabis.

Dr. Jeffrey Gendelman discussed his experience with medical cannabis, which began when he felt like he had to respond to patients' questions with I don't know as he had not done much research on the subject. However, when the Pennsylvania legislature passed legislation allowing academic medical centers to partner with vertically integrated growth, production, and dispensing companies, he decided to take the initiative and learn more.

Dr. Gendelman noted the disconnect between patients and providers when it comes to cannabis; patients often feel uncomfortable bringing it up and providers rarely initiate the dialogue due to a lack of knowledge. He believes it's important for doctors, particularly oncologists, to learn how to talk to their patients about cannabis in order to bridge this gap.

The conversation is about how healthcare professionals are not engaging with cannabis as a treatment option. The speaker notes that only a quarter of 10,000 cancer patients feel comfortable talking to their physicians about cannabis. The stigma and hysteria surrounding cannabis have made some patient groups reluctant to even bring up the topic with their physician. The speaker wonders why the medical community has not embraced the potential of cannabis as a therapy, given its long history of use in medicine. He argues that access to and use of cannabis is increasing, and medical professionals must pay attention to it. He also notes that research into the potential of cannabis as a therapy has been limited due to restrictions on its use. The speaker suggests healthcare professionals must become more educated about cannabis and its potential therapeutic uses.

There is not enough education and training available for healthcare professionals to bridge the gap in knowledge around cannabis. This lack of accessible education means that professionals have to do their own research and digging to gain knowledge. It is important to talk to patients and hear their experiences, although it is not the same as a randomized clinical trial. To gain more knowledge and bridge the gap, healthcare professionals should make some noise about the educational gap and try to get more educational outreach and efforts happening.

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