Event overview
Goldsmiths Psychology Department Seminar Series
Abstract
Cannabis is used by over 180 million people each year, and is currently the most widely used illicit drug in the world. The number of people entering specialist treatment for cannabis problems has increased substantially in recent decades. Meanwhile, cannabis stands poised to join alcohol and tobacco as a legal drug in the United States, Canada and beyond. These changes provide an opportunity for science to guide policy in order to minimise the harmful effects of cannabis, while (potentially) maintaining the pleasurable effects users seek. Crucial to this debate are concentrations of two cannabinoids synthesised by the cannabis plant: delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). In this talk I will present a combination of observational and experimental data linking THC and CBD to the harms and pleasures of cannabis, and the implications of these data for policy and clinical practice.
Biography
Tom Freeman is a Senior Academic Fellow at the National Addiction Centre, KCL, funded by the Society for the Study of Addiction. Tom completed his PhD at the Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, UCL in which he investigated the cognitive mechanisms underpinning substance use and its comorbidity with psychotic disorders. His postdoctoral training involved coordinating a randomised clinical trial for cannabis use disorders, funded by the Medical Research Council. This trial aimed to address the growing demand for treatment of cannabis-related problems and builds on previous work at he conducted at UCL on the effects different constituents of cannabis on brain and behaviour. He is currently investigating the relationship between changes in cannabis potency and health-related outcomes using large global datasets and experimental psychopharmacology.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Feb 2018 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm |
Accessibility
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