High Truths on Drugs and Addiction Dr. Roneet Lev

CDC has several different units working on different diseases and injury prevention, even one dedicated to cannabis.
To learn more about the CDC’s Cannabis Strategy Unit, I reached out to
Douglas Roehler, PhD, MPH
Health Scientist, Division of Overdose Prevention (DOP)
Douglas Roehler, PhD, MPH, serves as a Health Scientist for the Cannabis Strategy Unit in the Division of Overdose Prevention at CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. His work has focused on coordinating and implementing CDC’s cannabis strategic plan, expanding cannabis surveillance and research, and building surveillance and prevention capacity for drug-related overdoses.
Prior to joining the Cannabis Strategy Unit, Dr. Roehler served as a Health Scientist on the Overdose Morbidity Team in the Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch in the Division of Overdose Prevention. In this role, he provided technical assistance to funded states to build and enhance their nonfatal overdose surveillance systems.
Previously, Dr. Roehler focused on building and improving road safety surveillance systems in low- and middle-income countries, preventing youth violence, and investigating sudden unexpected infant deaths. He earned his PhD and MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Following his doctoral work, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in the Department of Pediatrics. He has published extensively on cannabis, drug overdoses, traffic safety, youth violence, and child injury prevention in peer-reviewed journals, MMWRs, book chapters, and governmental reports, including serving as the lead author of the 2019 Annual Surveillance Report of Drug-related Risks and Outcomes.

Is it just pot and an inconsequential debate on changing the schedule of marijuana or is it much more?
Are we talking about individual rights, marijuana as medicine, public health implications, the integrity of the FDA medication approval process , or the reliability of the USA in keeping international treaties.
INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY ON THE SCIENCE AND IMPACT OF CANNABIS
DOCTORS EDUCATING ON MARIJUANA
IASIC is an organization of international experts on cannabis who are guided by medicine and science to provide accurate and honest information that guides decision-making. We recognize that the use of cannabis is potentially harmful, and that policies or practices which enhance or increase the use of cannabis risk serious medical and social consequences.
Check out the IASIC Library.

Eric A. Voth, M.D., FACP
Dr. Voth is a specialist in Internal Medicine, Pain Management, and Addiction Medicine. He serves as the President and Chairman of the Board of the International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis (IASIC). Dr. Voth is a pioneer in the appropriate prescribing of controlled medications and is recognized as an international authority on drug use, drug policy-related issues, pain management, and appropriate prescribing practices.
He also serves as an advisor on alcohol and drug abuse issues to the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, is a former member of the National Advisory Committee for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment of HHS, and is a Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.
 Dr. Voth has advised Reagan, Clinton, both Bush, and Obama administrations, and has advised or testified for numerous Congressional offices on drug related issues. He has appeared on or consulted to, numerous other radio media, and has been quoted by numerous international print media.

Elizabeth ‘Libby’ Stuyt, MD
Dr. Stuyt is a board-certified Addiction Psychiatrist and has worked in the addiction/behavioral health field since 1990. She was the Medical Director for the Circle Program, a 90-day inpatient treatment program, funded by the state of Colorado, for persons with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse who have failed other levels of treatment from 1999 to 2020. She retired from this position in May 2020 in order to spend more time attempting to educate as many people as possible on the un-intended consequences she has seen from the commercialization of marijuana in Colorado, focusing primarily on the deleterious effects of high potency THC on the developing brain and mental health.

About Bertha Madras, PhD
 Current position. Professor of Psychobiology, Harvard Medical School (34 years) with office based at McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA; cross-appointment at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Educated at McGill University, Montreal with post-doctoral fellowships, MIT, Cambridge, MA.
Translational Research. Addictive and therapeutic drugs: behavioral, molecular responses. Drug discovery: Novel brain probes, candidate therapeutics for neuropsychiatric disorders. Drug Policy
Authorship.  Author of over 200 scientific manuscripts, articles, book chapters, co-editor of books “The Cell Biology of Addiction”, “Effects of Drug Abuse on the Human Nervous System”, “Imaging of the Human Brain in Health and Disease”

Heather and Randy Bacchus
 Heather Bacchus is a dedicated advocate and mother, whose life was forever changed by the tragic loss of her son, Randy Michael, to suicide as a result of Cannabis Induced Psychosis on July 17th, 2021. Randy’s struggles with marijuana use began at the tender age of 15, eventually leading to a diagnosis of cannabis use disorder by the time he was almost 17. Heather and her husband were deeply shaken by Randy’s passing and embarked on a journey of discovery, delving into the complexities of today’s potent cannabis products and their detrimental effects on the adolescent brain.
Through exploring Randy’s personal videos and journals, they uncovered his battles with marijuana-induced psychosis, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Determined to prevent further tragedies, Heather and her husband founded the non-profit organization, Be Extraordinary, Be You, which empowers youth to embrace their true selves and avoid substance use.
Heather and Randy’s mission is fueled by the profound belief that sharing Randy’s story, grounded in scientific research, can help educate students and parents alike, empowering them to make informed decisions regarding substance use.
In addition to their advocacy work, Heather and Randy are proud parents to three daughters and licensed Realtors in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Heather often emphasizes their commitment to ensuring people find happiness in their homes, believing that a positive home environment, free from drugs, is essential for overall well-being.

 
Gerard Carroll, MD, is the Program Director for the EMS Fellowship at Cooper University Hospital. He is passionate about utilizing physician field response to translate the bedside, apprenticeship model of medical education into the field. His interests include addiction medicine and the role of urban EMS caring for underserved populations. As an undergraduate at Brandeis University, Dr. Carroll became passionate about Emergency Medical Services, and following graduation became certified as a Paramedic . He worked for nearly a decade in the New York City 911 system and was recognized for his service on the morning of the 9-11 attacks. He then earned his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School where he was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He completed Emergency Medicine Residency at Temple University Hospital and completed a fellowship in Emergency Medical Services at Cooper University Hospital. He is triple board certified in Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medical Services, and Addiction Medicine. Dr. Carroll loves the practice of academic Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services and is not satisfied with the status quo. He believes strongly that EMS is a practice of medicine and as such needs to constantly be refocused on patient outcomes while optimizing its place in the healthcare system. He helped spearhead the movement of addiction medicine into the field by educating paramedics about Opioid Use Disorder and training them to rescue patients in withdrawal with Medication Assisted Therapy using buprenorphine. Dr. Carroll loves the varied practice environments of EM and EMS making academic, rural, prehospital, austere disaster deployment, and even cruise ship medicine a part of his regular medical practice.

The headlines in 2017 was “Iceland knows how to stop teen substance use – but the rest of the world is not listening.”
In 1997 – 40% of Iceland’s adolescents got drunk in the past 30 days, one of the highest teen alcohol problem in the world.
 After a national prevention program consistent over 20 years, the trend has been reversed to just 5%.
A side effect of the program also measured decreased tobacco, cannabis, as well as decreased bulling, violence, theft, sexual abuse.

What is Iceland secret?

 
Inga Dóra Sigfúsdóttir
Inga Dora Sigfusdottir is Professor and Founding Director of the Icelandic Centre for Social Research and Analysis at Reykjavik University, and Research Professor in Health and Behavior Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. A sociologist, her research focuses on understanding how biological and social factors interact to influence the development of risky behavior among adolescents, including substance use, suicidal behavior, unprotected sex, self-inflicted harm, and delinquency. Dr. Sigfusdottir has been the Project Director in Iceland for the European School Survey Project of Alcohol and other Drugs and for the European Cities Against Drugs Youth in Europe Project. She is currently the Principal Investigator of a life course study funded by the European Research Council which is investigating the effects of stress on biology, emotion and behavior throughout childhood.