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/hardcover
ISBN: 9781975141899 hardcover
Contacts:
Kimberly Macleod
kim@kmacconnect.com
917-587-0069
Joe Flattery
joe@kmacconnect.com
917-474-2689
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SOURCE Integrative Center for Wellness