Get the facts on medical cannabis on Saturday

A symposium on “Medical Cannabis: What’s the Evidence?” aiming to educate doctors and the public will be held Saturday at the University of Hawaii medical school.

“Since medical cannabis has been legalized in the state, it’s important to know the benefits and adverse side effects,” said Amy Brown, associate professor of complementary and integrative medicine at the John A. Burns Medical School. “Everyone should know the side effects.”

This is the first symposium for physicians and the public staged by the medical school on the subject, she said. It will focus on research­based facts on medical cannabis, also known as marijuana.

“We’re just trying to provide a balanced perspective,” she said. “We are going to talk about the physical effects and the cognitive effects.”

“Everything has to be evidenced-­based, based on the scientific, medical literature,” she said, adding that research so far is limited because the drug is still illegal under federal law.

“The field is huge and the public is extremely interested,” she said.

The forum will cover questions such as:

>> What are different forms of medical cannabis?

>> What are common doses and impacts?

>> Does cannabis reduce pain, and could it substitute for opioids?

>> What is amotivational syndrome?

>> Can cannabis kill you and what are overdose symptoms?

>> What are the regulations for doctors and patients?

A panel of doctors will share their knowledge and be available to answer questions. Along with Brown, speakers include specialists in psychiatry, pain management, obstetrics, developmental pediatrics and neurology.

The symposium will run from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Medical Education Building auditorium at the medical school in Kakaako, at 651 Ilalo St.

The cost is $30 for physicians and includes three continuing medical education credits. Members of the public may attend for $10.