BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) – As more states allow for the use of medical marijuana, the University of Vermont is offering a course in the science of the drug – and the professors say they are challenged by a lack of research on what has long been a taboo topic.
Other institutions have offered classes in marijuana law and policy, but the university’s medical school is likely the country’s first to offer a full course on medical cannabis, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges and Universities. Other medical schools have touched on the topic.
“What we’re trying to do with this course is to sort of demystify this whole subject matter, to try to treat this like any other drug, like alcohol or amphetamines or opioids,” said Vermont pharmacology professor Wolfgang Dostmann. “Just demystify the whole thing and say what it is, what is going on with it, how does it work.”
Twenty three-states, including Vermont, allow the use of medical cannabis for a range of conditions or symptoms from glaucoma to HIV and cancer, although the drug is still illegal under federal law.
The Massachusetts Medical Society, an accredited institution, is offering online medical marijuana courses including one on pharmacology, but it’s also limited because of the lack of research on the topic.