Mary Lynn Mathre, MSN, RN, CARN
Credit Available: CE/CME Credits(s): Provides 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM
Presented Date: 10/25/2021
Review Date: 10/25/2021
Expiration Date: 10/25/2023
Overview: Course curriculum consists of a pre-recorded virtual learning course online that guides providers on evidence-based and peer reviewed education. This course will include a general overview of the endocannabinoid system to provide the learner with a better understanding of how and why cannabis can serve as a therapeutic agent in dealing with substance use disorders. Over the past decade, there has been an epidemic of opioid addiction and overdoses, along with continued problems associated with alcohol, tobacco and other substances of abuse. Clinicians have been taught that cannabis is a gateway drug to more dangerous and addictive substances, which has been supported by the wrongful placement of cannabis in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances. This course will provide a description of cannabis as a botanical medicine that contains numerous cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids that together can produce therapeutic effects based on the composition of the various chemovars. Historical use, anecdotal reports and large population studies have shown that persons have been able to treat their substance use disorder with cannabis. Explains how Cannabis can help mitigate withdrawal symptoms from drugs of abuse and can help treat substance use disorders. Clinicians will be challenged to question the placement of cannabis in Schedule I and to improve their assessment skills in evaluating the use patterns of cannabis users to determine if use is therapeutic or if the patient has a cannabis use disorder. Clinicians will be encouraged to consider cannabis as a safe and effective treatment modality for substance use disorders.
Learning Objectives:
- Learners will be able to define, discuss and apply their knowledge with patients in a better understanding of how and why cannabis can serve as a therapeutic agent in dealing with substance use disorders
- Discover, understand and recognize that medical cannabis is a gateway to health and wellness
- Identify and acknowledge that cannabis has been supported by the wrongful placement of cannabis in Schedule 1 of the controlled substances act for decades
- Understand and recognize that cannabis needs to be rescheduled or descheduled before it can be implemented into mainstream medicine
- Define, identity and recall that cannabis is a botanical medicine that provides therapeutic effects to assist in the treatments of substance use disorders
- Label, categorize and utilize cannabis as a tool to mitigate withdrawal symptoms from drugs of abuse and can help treat substance use disorders
- Ability to improve their assessment skills in evaluating the use pattern of cannabis
- Understand and identify the uses and that cannabis is a safe and effective treatment modality
Key words: Cannabis, addiction, substance use disorders, gateway drug, exit modality, cannabis use disorder, history of cannabis, medical cannabis, cannabis nursing, pioneer, prohibition, withdrawal symptoms, opioids, harm reduction, first line treatment, drug treatment, withdrawal symptoms, treatment options, therapeutic, treatment modality for addictions.
