AAs recreational cannabis sales in Connecticut continue to boom and medical use continues to become more common, there is a growing need to ensure that pharmacists are prepared for this changing landscape.
Nathan Tinker, president and CEO of the Connecticut Pharmacist Association. Contributed photo.
Nathan Tinker, president and CEO of the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, recently oversaw the Cannabis Cognizant Summer Bootcamp, a one-day program designed to help pharmacists across the country prepare for situations where interactions between cannabis-based drugs and other prescriptions are becoming increasingly likely. concern
“With the impending introduction of adult retail cannabis to the Connecticut market, we thought it would be helpful for pharmacists to engage and understand the opportunities and challenges this will bring to them and the profession,” Tinker said.
Tinker praised the state’s medical marijuana program, calling it one of the most successful in the country, but said the Bootcamp was a necessary response to the introduction of recreational cannabis.
“It will dramatically affect both the way the medical program operates and also how retail pharmacists will have to engage with and counsel patients about marijuana in the marketplace,” he said.
One of the speakers at the Bootcamp was Al Domeika, director of retail operations for Acreage Holdings, a multi-state operator of cannabis retail and cultivation facilities, who praised the event as another example of how the The state has historically led the way in medical programs.
“Connecticut was the first state to implement pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to dispense and sell cannabis products,” he said. “We are now venturing into adult use, which will be a challenge for medical stores as there will be a whole new population trying cannabis for the first time. In terms of pharmacist involvement, there is still there will be opportunities for pharmacists to be used in certain stores.”
According to Domeika, who has decades of experience as a pharmacist in addition to his work in the cannabis industry, the main drug interactions that pharmacists need to be aware of are the result of the metabolization of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol ( CBD). same enzyme pathways as anticoagulants such as warfarin and Plavix. Certain medications taken for organ transplants, heart medications, blood pressure medications, and diabetes treatments may also have some degree of interaction.
“There aren’t enough studies to see the extent of this interaction, but the science says that because these are metabolized by the same enzymes, potential interactions can occur,” Domeika continued. “All pharmacists should be aware that medicinal cannabis is being dispensed, although there is no formal training, especially in retail establishments, we need to do everything we can to reach out to all healthcare professionals to try and put them up to date on the pharmacology of cannabis.”
Tinker added that the nearly 100 attendees registered for the Bootcamp came from a variety of backgrounds and specialties.
“We have a lot of hospital pharmacists, we have a lot of community pharmacists, and we also have a lot of dispensary staff who want to learn more about the wide range of topics here,” he observed, adding that the event also focused on topics. , including consumer safety and the distinctions between synthetic and analog marijuana products.
The Bootcamp also reviewed important distinctions between medical and recreational products, including different packaging and dosage rules. Sometimes different names will be used for the same product depending on whether it is prescribed or sold in a recreational context.
Domeika noted that while marijuana is legal in Connecticut, opinions among pharmacists are “pretty much split down the middle.” He emphasized that, in his own opinion, “there is still a stigma that we have to fight every day for marijuana to be this illicit gateway drug, which has been proven to be untrue many times. But there are still people who just don’t want to deal with it.”
Tinker emphasized that the pharmacy profession is ready to address this still-evolving issue.
“One thing I know about pharmacists,” Tinker said, “is that if they have personal feelings about something one way or another, they’re going to have patients come in the door and ask them questions. And they want to be able to be equipped with the information and knowledge to answer these questions regardless of their personal feelings.”