Grower Stories #154: Dr. Marion McNabb

Tia Moskalenko
Tia Moskalenko

Tia Moskalenko, author of the AskGrowers blog, brings a unique blend of content to her readers. She is known for conducting insightful interviews with key figures in the cannabis industry, including brand representatives, manufacturers, and experts. In addition to her interview skills, Tia has a keen focus on CBD. She expertly curates product selections and reviews, offering her readers detailed insights into the various effects and benefits of CBD. Tia's ability to combine in-depth interviews with comprehensive CBD analysis makes her a valuable asset to the cannabis community, offering a well-rounded perspective on the industry.

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Grower Stories #154: Dr. Marion McNabb

The Cannabis Center of Excellence is a leader in cannabis research and education

The AskGrowers team talks with the Founder and President of the Cannabis Center of Excellence, Dr. Marion McNabb, about what the company stands for and why. Dr. McNabb talks about the strong focus CCOE has on conducting cannabis research as well as educational programs to bring the right information about cannabis to consumers. She also mentions her own cannabis consumption routine and talks about her preferred products.

Dr. Marion McNabb, President of the Cannabis Center of Excellence,


Tia: When have you noticed that cannabis can help people more than the opposite?

Marion: I am the President and Founder of the Cannabis Center of Excellence, a 510c3 non-profit based out of Massachusetts, and have served as the Principal Investigator of six cannabis-focused research studies over the last five years. The CCOE implements cannabis-focused citizen science and population-based research studies together with academic, cannabis, and community partners to better understand the everyday reality of a medical cannabis patient or consumer, and their real-time experiences with cannabis. The CCOE studies are all reviewed and approved by the UMass Dartmouth Institutional Review Board (IRB) - with the exception of what other universities noted below - for human subjects’ ethical clearance.

  • 2021-2022 Healthcare Provider Medical Cannabis Research Study with Medicinal Genomics
  • 2021 New Jersey Cannabis Legalization and Social Justice Study with Rider University
  • 2020-2021 COVID-19 and Medical and Adult-Use Cannabis Study
  • 2020-2021 Environmental Sustainability in Cannabis Cultivation
  • 2019 Veterans Health and Medical Cannabis Study
  • 2018-2019 Medical Cannabis Patient and Consumer Study

Over the years, we have learned that the primary health condition that respondents report cannabis is most helpful for has shifted over time.

using of medical cannabis

In the 2018-2019 Medical Cannabis Patient and Consumer Study, 1292 respondents reported the top condition cannabis is most helpful for: Chronic pain (34%) being the top condition, followed by Anxiety (21%) and Depression (12%).

In the 2019 Veterans Health and Medical Cannabis Study, 565 veteran respondents reported the top condition cannabis is most helpful for: Chronic Pain (37%), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (25%); and Anxiety (11%).

In 2020, when COVID-19 hit, respondents in the 2020-2021 COVID-19 and Medical and Adult-Use Cannabis Study reported the top condition cannabis is most helpful for: Anxiety (25%); Chronic Pain (22%); and Depression at (19%).

As we can see, now in an era of COVID, more respondents are reporting relief with cannabis for anxiety now, compared to a few years ago when chronic pain was the main condition.


Tia: What’s the percentage of people who are getting better after using medical cannabis in the recovery stage?

Marion: In the 2020-2021 COVID-19 and Medical and Adult-Use Cannabis Study (N=481), respondents reported the following benefits of cannabis use:

CCOE Study: 2020-2021 COVID-19 and Medical and Adult-Use Cannabis Study (N=481) Responses to Question: How does cannabis help your daily life? Please select all that apply.
Helps with psychological symptoms (anxiety, stress, calm, sadness, energy) 84%
Generally helped with the quality of life 74%
Helped with physical symptoms (body pains, function, sensation) 65%
Helps currently reduce the use of prescription medications 45%
Helps to reduce the use of alcohol 42%
Helps currently reduce over the counter medications 39%
Helps to avoid starting other medicines (including opiates) 30%
Helps to reduce the use of over the counter or prescription medications in the past 26%
Helps to reduce the use of tobacco 19%
Helps to reduce use of opiates 14%
Other (please specify) 3%
Has not helped my daily life 1%

Tia: What’s the key point people are usually missing when talking about the benefits of medical cannabis (treatment)?

Marion: Most of the respondents in our studies are using medical cannabis to reduce unwanted over-the-counter and prescription medications and finding great value in choosing medical cannabis and its reported impact on improving their quality of life. There are documented interactions between medical cannabis, CBD, and certain prescription and OTC medications, so it is very important to understand what the risks and benefits are for integrating medical cannabis therapies. One key point here is that cannabis should be considered personalized medicine - it is not a magical one-size-fits-all medical option. But it is a good tool in the clinical tool kit to consider for various treatment options.

Most healthcare providers are largely unaware of the value, latest evidence, research, and understanding of how medical cannabis can be integrated as a long-term treatment option that is non-lethal, for a variety of health conditions and symptoms.


Tia: What was the ethos when you started the Cannabis Center of Excellence?

Marion: The Ethos behind the CCOE was to drive access to high-quality research, education, and social justice in the cannabis industry by bringing together stakeholders to create a virtual resource to connect academics, industry, policymakers, healthcare providers, citizens, and patients to set high-quality research and education standards in the emerging cannabis industry, starting in Massachusetts.

The CCOE was founded by Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN) which operated in Massachusetts. C3RN was able to accomplish advocating for the cannabis research license in Massachusetts, forming a four-year running research and education partnership with UMass Dartmouth, conducting six cannabis adult-use consumers and patients research studies, and publishing the research findings. C3RN worked with Holyoke Community College to establish the Cannabis Education Center at Holyoke Community College and won the first annual Cannabis Ancillary Business start-up competition hosted by the Boston University Questrom School of Business and Green Lion Partners in 2018. The winning concept was to create a virtual Cannabis Center of Excellence (CCOE) that Dr. Marion McNabb is the current President and Founder of.

C3RN was also a Cannabis Control Commission State Social Equity Training Vendor in 2019-2020, teaching eleven courses on cannabis retail, business operations and establishment, medical cannabis, and municipal process; hosting community law and agreements; and more hired by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.


Tia: What drove you to get involved in the cannabis industry and basically educate people with time?

Marion: As a public health professional, when it became legal for adult-use cannabis in Massachusetts five years ago, I and my colleagues saw an opportunity to advance Massachusetts and the national cannabis industry through research, education, and social justice. Since cannabis has been federally illegal, it has been difficult for researchers to conduct cannabis-focused research studies and the failed war on drugs has devastated many lives particularly among communities of color. I was motivated with my colleagues to apply my public health skills and experience to work on cannabis research, education, and social justice in the Commonwealth. Now, five years later, I have led over 20 educational programs and six cannabis research studies. I am excited to continue to grow and advance our collective knowledge about cannabis through more research, continue educating around adult-use and medical cannabis, and explore how medical cannabis can be further integrated into our mainstream healthcare system.


Tia: Share a bit of detail about CCoE and what’s so special and different in there between your company and others similar to yours?

Marion: The CCOE is unique as we conduct research studies, run educational programs, and have a focus on adult-use and medical cannabis, partnering with the University of Dartmouth. We are unique as we are a virtual center of excellence, and are able to work with the industry, academic partners, policymakers, and more to move the dial forward for cannabis research, education, and social justice. We are currently implementing a unique cannabis citizen scientist campaign with our current healthcare provider knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to medical cannabis study. The CCOE has a very strong community research advisory board, and we are now expanding into other states with new research topics in 2022.


Tia: I know that you’re doing a short survey prior to your speeches. How does it help you eventually and what are the most common questions you ask your audience about?

Marion: Since September 2021, I have incorporated a survey in each one of my talks. The talks were centered around presenting the last four years' worth of findings from the research I and others have conducted and discussing what the implications are for the cannabis industry. One of the main findings from these research studies is the fact that over 50% of the respondents report they use medical cannabis as an alternative to other prescription drugs, opiates, or over-the-counter medications.

opoid epidemic

The opioid epidemic is devastating communities across Massachusetts and the United States. I included asking the participants who came to my talks to answer a few questions at the start of the talk, and at the end of the talk, I presented the data back to the audience from the survey they completed. I asked participants: 1) why they were attending the conference, 2) If they know of anyone that has lost their life due to addiction or opiates. I did this to inspire the audience to understand that the data I was presenting to them extends beyond the slides, but into all of our lives. The opioid epidemic has impacted so many lives and I am using this presentation technique to remind the audience that this is a problem that affects many, and many who attended the talks. The results from the surveys are below:

Indicator NECANN Boston Sept 9, 2021 N=61 NECANN New Jersey Sept 30, 2021 N=10 Cannabis Science Fair Dec 11, 2021 (N=41)
Knows someone who lost their life due to opioids OR addiction 66% 40% 80%
Knows someone who lost their life due to opioids N/A N/A 56%
Knows someone who lost life due to addiction N/A N/A 78%

Tia: How important do you think is the fact that people should be aware of the difference between medical and recreational cannabis? And how it can affect their lives afterward?

Marion: This is an interesting question, and we have included this question in all of our surveys, to see how people self-identify with their cannabis use. There are medical uses for cannabis that require different types of consumption methods, different mg limits, and different cultivars, and each is unique also to the type of health condition or symptom. There are some in our studies that identify as medical patients, some as cannabis recreational consumers, and some as both. I think the most important thing is to understand that the personalized nature of cannabis, recreationally and medically, is unique for each individual person, the conditions they face, and what their intentions are for using cannabis. The table below describes how the respondents in the 2020-2021 COVID-19 and Medical and Adult-Use Cannabis Study (N=481) reported they consume cannabis.

In the 2020-2021 COVID-19 and Medical and Adult-Use Cannabis Study (N=481) N %
Medically indicated and have a medical cannabis card in my State, recommended by a licensed clinical provider. 259 54%
Consume both medically (WITH a State medical card) and recreationally 73 15%
Adult-use consumer 67 14%
Consume both medically (WITHOUT a State medical card) and recreationally 49 10%
Medically indicated, self-prescribed and do not have a State medical card. 24 5%
Other 6 1%
Religious-based consumer 3 1%

Tia: How often can a person use cannabis, in your opinion, in order not to get really used to it?

Marion: Cannabis use over time can cause consumers and patients to develop a tolerance. This reality is unique to each person, how much they consume, how often, and what their personal goals of cannabis consumption are. There is no method out there to determine the right time for a tolerance break, and with everyone's unique metabolism, lifestyle, body disposition, the tolerance levels are unique to each individual.


Tia: What’s your personal consumption routine? What are the top three products that you’re using?

Marion: I identify as both a cannabis medical patient as well as an adult-use consumer, depending on what my intended goals are for the time that I am consuming. I typically prefer to smoke cannabis flower, and I also really enjoy cannabis-infused beverages. I am looking forward to more edible options coming out in the market in 2022.


Tia: Are there any doctors or cannabis enthusiasts you communicate with often to exchange the experience and to get involved more in the industry?

Marion: Dr. Staci Gruber and Dr. Peter Grinspoon are two of my closest cannabis researchers and clinicians that I communicate with often. They are both Members of the CCOE Advisory Board and are co-investigators on the CCOE research studies. They are true thought leaders in this area, and I am honored to know and work with them regularly.

You can follow Marion and her brand at:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

YouTube

Thank you so much, Dr. Marion McNabb, for taking the time to do the interview. To learn more about them, head on over to their website.

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