International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines

Last updated
IACM
International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines
Founded2000
Founder Franz-Josef „Franjo“ Grotenhermen
TypeGerman non-profit registry of Cologne
Focus"Advance knowledge on cannabis, cannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system, and related topics especially with regard to their therapeutic potential"
Location
OriginsGermany
Area served
International
Key people
Roger Pertwee, Manuel Guzman, Bonni Goldstein, Daniele Piomelli, Francisco Guimaraes, Kirsten Müller-Vahl  [ de ], Ethan Russo, Raphael Mechoulam, Franjo Grotenhermen  [ de ], Ilya Reznik, [1] Raquel Peyraube, Carola Pérez, Michael Krawitz, Clare Hodges
Website cannabis-med.org and iacmpatients.com
Formerly called
International Association for Cannabis as a Medicine

The International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines (IACM), formerly known as the International Association for Cannabis as a Medicine, is a non-profit scientific society founded in Cologne in 2000 [2] [3] and dedicated to the advancement of knowledge of cannabis and cannabinoid medicines among medical professionals. IACM is one of the few global non-profit medical societies or associations [lower-alpha 1] related to cannabis and Cannabinoids, along with the Society of Cannabis Clinicians [4] [5] and the International Cannabinoid Research Society.

Contents

History

The IACM was founded in 2000 as the International Association for Cannabis as a Medicine by a group of members of the German Association for Cannabis as Medicine (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Cannabis als Medizin). [3]

The chairmanship of the board of IACM has been held by different researchers along the years: [6]

Work

The IACM has been known for holding updated lists of medical effects, possible clinical indications of cannabis products and side effects, which are seen by some as a reference. [7]

In June 2018, IACM took part in the open session of the World Health Organization's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence meeting related to medical cannabis [8] [9] and joined an official civil society statement [10] in December 2020 to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs which resulted in the change of international scheduling of cannabis. [11] [12] [13] [14]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of IACM issued a statement saying that "there is no evidence that individual cannabinoids [...] or cannabis preparations protect against infection with the SARS-CoV2 virus or could be used to treat COVID-19" [15] [16] while mentioning that the IACM-Bulletin reported on several occasions on laboratory studies suggesting that cannabinoids may have antiviral or antibacterial effects.

Publications

IACM publishes a bi-weekly Bulletin in various languages. [17]

Between 2001 and 2004, IACM edited [18] the scholarly Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics [19] [20] published by Haworth Press. Since 2019, [3] [21] IACM has been one of the official societies of the journal Cannabis and Cannabis Research published by Mary Ann Liebert .

IACM only conducted one own clinical study: a cross-sectional survey completed by 953 participants from 31 countries about their methods of administration of medical cannabis. [22]

Conferences

Starting in 2001 in Berlin, the IACM has been holding biannual scientific conferences [3] in Cologne in 2003, Leiden in 2015, Cologne in 2007 and 2009, Bonn in 2011, Cologne in 2013, Sestri Levante in 2015, [23] [24] Cologne in 2017, Berlin in 2019, [25] and the 20th anniversary conference of 2020 planned to be held in Mexico City took place online [3] [26] due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The association gives the IACM Awards to "outstanding clinicians and scientists for their major contributions to cannabinoid research and/or to the re-introduction of cannabis into modern medicine." [3] In 2014, IACM former chairman and board member Prof. Raphael Mechoulam was given a special award.[ citation needed ]

Patient Council

IACM has had patient representatives since 2001, elected as members of the Board of Directors of the organization. [27] In 2019, IACM created the IACM Patient Council, launched in 2022, whose purpose is to bring together groups of medical patient using cannabis and cannabinoids, in order for them to share their experience. [28] [29] The statutory articles of IACM describe the Patient Council as follows:

The IACM Patient Council consists of patients, caregivers of patients and nominees from IACM Partner Organisations, who want to support the work of the IACM. The number of members may be limited by the Board of Directors. Members counsel the board with regard to patient issues. Members of the IACM Patient Council may organize their own activities within the framework of the IACM and its conferences. [2] [30]

List of IACM patient representatives [27]
TitlePeriodNameCountryOrganization
IACM patient representative2001–2011 Clare Hodges UK Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics
2011–2019 Michael Krawitz USA Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access
2011–2019 Alison Myrden Canada Law Enforcement Action Partnership
2011–2019Sarah MartinUKn/a
2017–2019 Sébastien Béguerie France Union Francophone pour les Cannabinoïdes en Médecine
2017–2019 Maximilian Plenert Germany Deutscher Hanfverband
Manager of the IACM patient council2019–present Carola Pérez Spain Observatorio Español del Cannabis Medicinal

Notes

  1. ↑ A Medical Society is a specific type of trade association for medical professionals.

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References

  1. ↑ "Medical marijuana is legal for PTSD in Israel, but good luck getting it". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  2. 1 2 "International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines Statutory Articles as resolved at the foundation meeting on 11th March 2000, revised at the General Meetings on 16th September 2000, 25th of October 2001, 5th of October 2007, 2nd October 2009, 18th September 2015 and 2nd November 2019" (PDF).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Grotenhermen, Franjo; Müller-Vahl, Kirsten R. (2020-10-23). "Two Decades of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines: 20 Years of Supporting Research and Activities Toward the Medicinal Use of Cannabis and Cannabinoids". Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. 6 (2): 82–87. doi:10.1089/can.2020.0044. ISSN   2578-5125. PMC   8064956 . PMID   33912675.
  4. ↑ Takakuwa, Kevin M. (2020-05-01). "A history of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians and its contributions and impact on the US medical cannabis movement". International Journal of Drug Policy. 79: 102749. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102749. ISSN   0955-3959. PMID   32289591. S2CID   215771647. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  5. ↑ "Η Δρ. Γκόλντσταϊν πιστεύει ότι η ιατρική κάνναβη μπορεί να αντικαταστήσει πολλά φάρμακα | LiFO". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). 2018-06-01. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  6. ↑ "International Association for Cannabis as Medicine, About us, Board of Directors". www.cannabis-med.org. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  7. ↑ Kersgaard, Scot (2011-06-23). "The Cash Hyde story: One of the youngest medical marijuana patients is thriving". The Colorado Independent. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  8. ↑ WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence Fortieth report [WHO Technical Report Series No. 1013] (PDF). Geneva: World Health Organization. 2018. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  9. ↑ "40th WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence: Meeting agenda" (PDF). World Health Organization . 4 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Statement "Towards science-based scheduling of cannabis sativa and other controlled herbal medicines" [E/CN.7/2020/NGO/8] submitted by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council". United Nations Documents. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  11. ↑ "Decision 63/17: Deletion of cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol". Commission on Narcotic Drugs Report on the reconvened sixty-third session (2–4 December 2020) – Economic and Social Council Official Records, 2020 Supplement No. 8A [E/CN.7/2020/15/Add.1]. New-York: United Nations. 2020. p. 5. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "The International Drug Control Conventions Schedules of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol, as at 22 January 2021 [ST/CND/1/Add.1/Rev.7]". United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs . 22 January 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "UN commission reclassifies cannabis, yet still considered harmful". UN News. 2020-12-02. Archived from the original on 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  14. ↑ Kwai, Isabella (2020-12-02). "U.N. Reclassifies Cannabis as a Less Dangerous Drug". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-01-10. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  15. ↑ Müller-Vahl, Kirsten; Grotenhermen, Franjo (25 March 2020). "IACM: Statement of the Board on current corona virus pandemic and the use of cannabinoids". www.cannabis-med.org. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  16. ↑ Barnes, Mike (2020-05-07). "Navigating COVID-19 in the Cannabis industry in the UK". Cannabis Industry Journal. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  17. ↑ "IACM-Bulletin online". www.cannabis-med.org. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  18. ↑ "Handbook of Cannabis Therapeutics: From Bench to Bedside - American Botanical Council". www.herbalgram.org. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  19. ↑ "Archives, Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics - International Association for Cannabis as Medicine". www.cannabis-med.org. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  20. ↑ "Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics". www.scimagojr.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  21. ↑ "Press release: International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines (IACM) Names Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research its Official Journal". Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  22. ↑ Hazekamp, Arno; Ware, Mark A.; Muller-Vahl, Kirsten R.; Abrams, Donald; Grotenhermen, Franjo (July 2013). "The medicinal use of cannabis and cannabinoids--an international cross-sectional survey on administration forms". Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 45 (3): 199–210. doi:10.1080/02791072.2013.805976. ISSN   0279-1072. PMID   24175484. S2CID   6654922.
  23. ↑ Cheer, Joseph F.; Maccarrone, Mauro; Piomelli, Daniele (2016-01-14). "Seventh European Workshop on Cannabinoid Research and IACM Eighth Conference on Cannabinoids in Medicine". Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. 1 (1): 54–58. doi:10.1089/can.2015.29001.jfc. ISSN   2578-5125. PMC   5576601 .
  24. ↑ Mikuriya, Beverly (20 October 2015). "The 2015 IACM Meeting | O'Shaughnessy's". O'Shaughnessy's . Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  25. ↑ Rosner, Abbie. "A Conversation With Veteran Cannabis Activist Alice O'Leary Randall". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  26. ↑ "Online Events 2020 - IACM". new.cannabis-med.org. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  27. 1 2 Grotenhermen, Franjo; Müller-Vahl, Kirsten R. (2021-04-01). "Two Decades of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines: 20 Years of Supporting Research and Activities Toward the Medicinal Use of Cannabis and Cannabinoids". Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. 6 (2): 82–87. doi:10.1089/can.2020.0044. ISSN   2578-5125. PMC   8064956 . PMID   33912675.
  28. ↑ WIID PR (2022). "Tweet from "Wiid_PR", We've got a new #logo for the IACM's Patient Council!". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  29. ↑ International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines (2022-03-16). "IACM on LinkedIn: Today the IACM Patient Council had the opportunity to share their work and debate about the actual situation in UN - CND (United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs)". www.linkedin.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  30. ↑ IACM (2019). "General Meeting elects Kirsten Mueller-Vahl as new chairwoman and changes its statutes and membership fee structure". IACM-Bulletin. 2019-11-10. Archived from the original on 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
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