Black physicians discuss benefits of medical marijuana – Daytona Times

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Editor’s Note: This comment is provided by the Florida A&M University Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI).

Dr. Genester Wilson-King is a certified gynecologist who recommends medical marijuana treatments to her patients after Florida legalized them in 2016.

She is one of more than 2,500 doctors in the state qualified to order medical marijuana and low-THC cannabis for patients with qualified conditions.

“I’ve always looked for other ways to help my patients outside of medicine, especially those that people take constantly, and in my research I found and learned about cannabis,” she said.

“Many women’s health conditions have multifactorial components, including mood, pain, insomnia, and hormonal imbalances. Cannabis’ ability to act as an anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxant, mood booster, sleep aid, and pain reliever makes it ideal for women’s health at the same time. “

Start of ACHEM

Dr. Wilson-King is among a growing number of black doctors focused on helping black people consider the therapeutic benefits of cannabis through the Cannabis Health Equity Movement and the recently formed Association for Cannabis Health Equity and Medicine.

ACHEM (pronounced AyKem) is focused on nationwide training of health professionals and healers to raise awareness of cannabis use in the treatment of blacks, indigenous people and colored people (BIPOC) and to promote entrepreneurship and job opportunities in the medical marijuana industry .

ACHEM was appointed by the Vice President of the Board of Directors, Dr. Janice Knox, a nationally recognized endocannabinologist, speaker and authority on medical cannabis.

“We call ourselves endocannabinologists because we really study the physiology of the body [i.e., the endocannabinoid system] first and then the pharmacology of cannabis to highlight proper clinical application, ”said Dr. Knox, certified anesthetist and co-founder of the American Cannabinoid Clinics in Portland, Ore.

“When I talk to a patient, I look at the disease process and think about which receptors to target in that process and what is the best cannabinoid that will work on that receptor.”

The receptors she talks about are found throughout the body and in the endocannabinoid system that Dr. Wilson-King describes it as one of the most important physiological systems in creating and maintaining human health.

“The endocannabinoid system is responsible for enabling us to relax, eat and sleep. Cannabis works through the endocannabinoid system and uses receptors like CB1 and CB2, as well as a few others, to affect changes in the body, ”explained Dr. Wilson-King.

Cannabis versus pharmaceuticals

When comparing the use of medical cannabis with some pharmaceutical drugs, Dr. Angela “Kaya” Ledbetter, a state-certified emergency medicine doctor in Houston, Texas and ACHEM board member, said it was important to know that cannabis’ safety profile is better.

“It’s a lot safer. Fortunately, cannabis has fewer side effects than many other drugs, which allows us to experiment a little and work with a patient to find out what works best with them.

I definitely believe that there are great things about our modern medical system that work wonders for people, but I also believe that our modern medical system, when it was developed, demonized many natural treatments. “

Dr. Wilson-King added, “Cannabis is a medicine, but it cannot be thought of as a medicine. A drug is a single molecular chemical that enters the body to do a unique thing.

Cannabis is made up of several substances that enter the body and do a variety of things. It’s called “multiple mechanisms of action,” which means that it works in many different ways, and this is why cannabis can be so helpful for many different conditions. “

Eliminate the stigma

All three doctors hope that the launch of ACHEM will help remove the stigma of medical cannabis use in the black community.

“ACHEM will be very important to us in training clinicians and providers who look like us so we can change some of these old firm beliefs in our community,” said Dr. Knox.

“I can tell you that when a black patient saw my face, you could almost taste the relief that you had when I walked into the room. It’s a matter of trust.

If we can train more health care providers to look like us and explain the science, physiology, and benefits to our staff, they’ll likely get them better. “

To learn more about medical marijuana as a medicine, visit mmeri.famu.edu for MMERI’s discussions on the virtual cannabis forum with Dr. Genester Wilson-King, Dr. Janice Knox and Dr. View Angela “Kaya” Ledbetter on YouTube. For more information on medical marijuana, visit the MMERI website at http://mmeri.famu.edu/.

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