Welcome to High5 with Dr. Igor Grant, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at UC San Diego. Each month, we’ll take you on a fascinating journey into the evolving world of medicinal cannabis. From groundbreaking research to candid conversations with top scientists and clinicians across the globe. In each episode, Dr. Grant poses five thought-provoking questions to his guest, uncovering their personal journey and unique contributions to the field of medicinal cannabis

Listen or watch below or subscribe on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube.

Cannabis legalization in Canada: Lessons for the U.S. with Mark A. Ware, MD

In episode 5, Dr. Grant speaks with Mark Ware, MD as he discusses the evolution of cannabis use in pain management, the implications of the Cannabis Act in Canada, and the differences in cannabis policies between Canada and the U.S. Dr. Ware highlights the importance of understanding the psychoactive effects of cannabis, the challenges in medical research, and the need for a cohesive regulatory framework to ensure safety and efficacy in cannabis products.

Mark A. Ware, MBBS, MSc, MRCP is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and holds the Alan Edwards Chair in Clinical Pain at McGill University. He is also the Director of the interdisciplinary Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit at Montreal General Hospital. He was a co-founder of the non-profit Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids and served as Executive Director from 2007 to 2018. Dr. Ware has advised the Canadian federal government on cannabis policy since 2001, and in 2016, he served as the vice-chair of the Federal Task Force on the Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis in Canada. The task force’s report became Canadian law as the Cannabis Act in October 2018.

Brain difference and early substance use: Which comes first? with Alex Miller, PhD

In episode 4, Dr. Grant speaks with ⁠Alex P. Miller, PhD⁠, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine. This conversation explores the intricate relationship between substance use, genetics, and brain structure, focusing on the ABCD study, which follows children over a decade to understand the onset of substance use and its effects on mental health. Dr. Alex Miller discusses the role of neuroimaging in identifying brain differences that may predispose individuals to substance use, the influence of genetics and environment, and the implications of these findings for understanding addiction and recovery.

 

Alex P. Miller, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Miller completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri and a postdoctoral fellowship in substance use disorder genetics at Washington University School of Medicine. His research, supported by a K01 award from NIAAA, focuses on applying statistical genetics and neuroimaging data analysis to better understand the developmental neurogenetic etiology of substance use disorders and impulsive personality traits as a risk factor for the onset and progression of substance use disorders.

Cannabis use and cardiovascular risk with Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH

In episode 3, Dr. Igor Grant speaks with Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH about the impact of cannabis use on cardiovascular health. They explore various studies focusing on heart disease, hypertension, and atherosclerosis, discussing both acute and long-term effects of cannabis. Dr. Corroon shares insights from his research, highlighting the importance of understanding the relationship between cannabis and cardiovascular outcomes, while also addressing the need for more rigorous studies to clarify potential risks.

Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and Assistant Project Scientist at the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego. He recently completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Family Medicine, where he investigated the impact of cannabis use on cardiovascular health. His work was funded by a T32 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Potential Implications of Rescheduling with Igor Grant, MD

In episode 2 (Recorded in December 2024), Drs. Igor Grant and Jamie Corroon discuss the potential implications of rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance. They explore the current scheduling system, the medicinal value of cannabis, the challenges researchers face under Schedule I, and how rescheduling could impact research and funding. They also emphasize the need for harmonization between state and federal laws to facilitate cannabis research.

Igor Grant, M.D., is Distinguished Professor of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Grant served as Chair of the Department of Psychiatry from 2014-2019. He is Director of the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), which includes the California NeuroAIDS Tissue Network (CNTN), the Translational Methamphetamine AIDS Research Center (TMARC), the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (HNRC), the CNS HIV Anti-Retroviral Therapy Effects Research (CHARTER) and the University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR). Dr. Grant is the founding Editor of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society and founding co-editor of the journal AIDS and Behavior.

Cannabis Impaired Driving with Tom Marcotte, PhD

In Episode 1, Dr. Tom Marcotte discusses a significant study on the acute effects of cannabis on driving impairment, detailing the methodology, findings, and implications for public safety and law enforcement. The conversation explores how THC levels affect driving performance, the perception of impairment among users, and the challenges of conducting cannabis research in a regulated environment. Future research directions and participant recruitment for upcoming studies are also highlighted.

Tom Marcotte Ph.D. is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and Co-Director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, which has conducted clinical trials of cannabis for almost 20 years, and has an active, ongoing portfolio exploring the effects of cannabinoids (plant-based, synthetic) in various medical/psychiatric conditions. He is the principal investigator on studies addressing the effects that cannabis (including commercially-available products) has on driving performance, as well as methods for detecting cannabis-related driving impairment. He previously was the principal investigator on an NIH-funded take-home study of cannabis for the treatment of pain, and a co-investigator on cannabis studies addressing pain, as well spasticity in multiple sclerosis. He has been the PI on numerous HIV studies over the years, including projects aimed at examining antiretroviral treatment initiation in India, the development of brief screening tools for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), and studies examining the impact of HAND on real-world functioning. Dr. Marcotte has developed techniques for assessing the most complex of everyday tasks, driving an automobile, and examined the types of deficits that may predispose an individual to impaired driving abilities. Dr. Marcotte previously served as the Center Manager of the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (1996-2018), and Co-Director of CHARTER (a national multi-site study of the CNS impact of treatments for HIV). He co-edited the book Neuropsychology of Everyday Functioning (currently in its 2nd edition) and has been on the editorial boards of Neuropsychology and the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.