From Bud to Brain. A Psychiatrist's View of Marijuana

Introduction

Part I. The Science of Marijuana and the Brain:
1. Monumental discoveries
2. Marijuana's acute effects: from brain to experience
3. Flies in the ointment: cannabinoid deficiency and the reality of addiction
4. Epidemiology: how many, and who, use how much marijuana
5. The impacts of ongoing marijuana use on the brain
6. The impacts of ongoing marijuana use on the mind, part I: memory, executive functions, risk assessment and impulsivity
7. The impacts of ongoing marijuana use on the mind, part II: emotion, motivation, psychosis and practical impacts
8. The impacts of ongoing marijuana use on adolescent psychology: understanding the journey from childhood to adulthood
9. Second hand marijuana: prenatal cannabis exposure

Part II. The Science and Art of Healing:
10. Cannabinoid-based medication
11. Understanding and encouragement: compassion for cannabis use disorder sufferers
12. Principles of motivational interviewing
13. Treatment of regular heavy marijuana users

Part III. The History and Art of Marijuana Policy:
14. Policy, part I: sociopolitical history of marijuana and America's war on drugs
15. Policy, part II: the post drug war era

Part IV. Epilogue:
16. The future of marijuana
Index.

The trend toward liberalizing medical and recreational marijuana use is increasing the obligation on clinicians to provide useful information to the public. This book summarizes the science all healthcare professionals need to know in order to provide objective and relevant information to a variety of patients, from recreational and medicinal users to those who use regularly, and to adolescents and worried parents. The author brings two and a half decades of studying cannabinoid research, and over forty years' experience in psychiatric and addiction medicine practice, to shed light on the interaction between marijuana and the brain. Topics range from how marijuana produces pleasurable sensations, relaxation and novelty (the 'high'), to emerging medical uses, effects of regular use, addiction, and policy. Principles of motivational interviewing are outlined to help clinicians engage patients in meaningful, non-judgmental conversations about their experiences with marijuana. An invaluable guide for physicians, nurses, psychologists, therapists, and counsellors.

• Presents the most recent neuroscience needed to help people make better-informed personal and policy decisions about marijuana, based on solid scientific evidence
• Discusses possible pros of marijuana, such as medicinal use, as well as cons, such as potential repercussions of regular use, unique risks of adolescent use, and the reality of addiction
• Provides insights into the rationale for marijuana policy reform, drawing upon public health principles and the role of the brain's natural cannabinoid system
• Illustrates how to integrate the latest scientific information about marijuana into effective communication with a variety of patients

Timmen L. Cermak, Private Practice of Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry, California
Timmen L. Cermak is past president of the California Society of Addiction Medicine, a member of California's Cannabis Advisory Committee, and a practicing addiction psychiatrist. He chaired the youth work group for California's Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Policy Reform.