 Welcome to the Isaac news conference. We're very happy to have you all here today. Before getting started, I want to cover some housekeeping items. My name is Joe Everstein, and I am with the San Diego County Marijuana Prevention Initiative and the Center for Community Research. All attendees, microphones and videos are off. You will only be seeing our speakers. Chat has been disabled. We have numerous people registered for today's news event, and in the interest of time, we are going to prioritize questions from news outlets. We are going to address questions at the end of the event. There are two ways you can submit questions. You can enter them into the Q&A box or raise your hand and we will unmute you. Please state your name and the media organization you are representing when submitting questions. Lastly, today's event is being recorded, and will be available by the end of the day. You can access the recording by going to our website. A link will be provided in the chat. We will additionally send a link of the recording to all registrants. Again, I want to thank you and I would like to pass it off to Dr. Renit Leff. Welcome and thank you for attending today. We are very grateful that there is much national and international attention on this event. My name is Dr. Renit Leff. I am an emergency and addiction physician at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego and vice president of ISAC, the International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis. Every shift in the emergency department, I treat cases of marijuana poisoning, every shift. And today we are proud to unveil a new and unique medical organization, ISAC, which stands for the International Association, the International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis. We are doctors educating on marijuana. You will be introduced to the four physician founders of ISAC who will explain the mission and resources of this physician-led organization. I will now pass to Dr. Eric Voeth, president of ISAC. Good afternoon. I'm happy to be with you. Appreciate your being with us. I'm Dr. Eric Voeth and I am the president of ISAC. I've practiced internal medicine, pain and addiction medicine for 36 years, as well as my involvement with the issues around marijuana and drug policy that really dates back at least 40 years. And during that time, we've seen marijuana become a serious public health problem. Today is a direct result of rigorous efforts to legalize and normalize marijuana. It is responsible for a host of medical problems that you will have an opportunity to hear more about from our leadership today. We face not only greater availability of marijuana to younger populations, but also the industrial development of more concentrated, dangerous and more addictive forms of marijuana slash cannabis. This also impacts other chemical addictions. An example would be the dramatic increase that we've seen with opiate overdoses as marijuana has become more widely available, accepted and stronger during these legalization, medical marijuana and normalization kinds of episodes. We also face an uphill battle to make the public aware of the medical harms of marijuana, and we face a well-financed, aggressive marijuana industry that profits from marijuana abuse and addiction. As an example, past month's marijuana use in those over age 12 and older in Colorado, where the drug is legalized but initially was just medical access, is now 17 percent versus 9.8 percent in the rest of the United States. From 2002 to 2019, the number of people over age 26 with marijuana use disorder almost doubled from 1.4 to 2.2 million cases. Adolescents with a past year of major depressive episodes were more likely to be marijuana users than those without a major depressive episode, and that would be 25 percent of that group versus 11 percent of those that don't. Isaac was founded to fill a serious void of knowledge on the medical and societal and social consequences of marijuana use, as well as to educate physicians, policymakers, and the public on these really significant impacts. The medical experts on the Isaac Medical Advisory Board bring a whole range internationally of expertise on marijuana together from a broad representation of medical fields. Unlike any other organization, Isaac literally consists of doctors educating doctors on marijuana. Isaac will use medical evidence and science to shed light on the dark realities surrounding marijuana legalization and medicalization. Our mission statement is straightforward. Isaac counters the pervasive misperception of the safety of marijuana by the involvement of international experts who provide science, data, and clinical expertise. We are a nonpartisan, nonpolitical group developed, organized, and guided by doctors. We intend for science to guide policies that protect the public and create informed decision-making. Thank you, and I'll now pass the floor to Dr. Ken Finn, vice president of Isaac. Thank you, Eric. My name is Ken Finn. I'm a pain medicine physician in Colorado Springs, another vice president of Isaac. I am also the editor of the only medical-grade resource for those interested on this topic from the United States, cannabis and medicine, an evidence-based approach. There's a lot of literature on marijuana, and as an example, the Surgeon General Advisory on Tobacco was based on 7,000 publications. Between 2011 and 2019 alone, there have been more than 15,000 marijuana manuscripts, which indicates a 140% increase in the scientific literature with publications being added on a regular basis. Colorado has had medical marijuana since 2001, and nearly 90% of recommendations for marijuana are for pain. Despite that, 2020 shattered another record in drug overdoses, and since legalization, drug-related overdose deaths have skyrocketed. Since legalization in Colorado prescription opioid deaths have increased by 136%, fentanyl overdose deaths have increased by 864%, methamphetamine overdoses have increased by 364%, cocaine deaths have increased by 195%, and heroin deaths have increased by 45%. One of the platforms to legalize is to help our opioid epidemic. Marijuana is not helping the opioid epidemic and is likely fueling it. Similar data is being seen nationally and in other states. For instance, California has had medical marijuana since 1996, yet their drug overdose deaths and overdose presentations to the emergency department continue to be a problem. Although there is evidence of potential benefits of cannabinoids in certain medical conditions, dispensary cannabis has not been thoroughly evaluated scientifically, is poorly regulated and tested, and is frequently contaminated. Most research on the use of cannabinoids in pain are with products that are not available in the United States, or with synthetic cannabis-based medications, some of which are FDA approved. We should support the development of natural cannabinoids, which meet the rigor of scientific study, just like any other medication. There is a large body of scientific evidence supporting that marijuana users are at a higher risk of developing opioid misuse or opioid use disorder. For instance, the number one risk factor for adolescent opioid misuse is having ever used marijuana, and the predominant predictor of adult opioid misuse is using marijuana before the age of 18. Regarding other health impacts, the American Heart Association paper from August of 2020 concluded that people who use marijuana may be at higher risk of sudden death, heart attack, and stroke. They caution people with underlying cardiovascular disease to avoid marijuana use. The Isaac library is a wonderful reference for anyone interested in learning more about the use and effects of marijuana in many medical scenarios. Thank you, and I will now pass to Dr. Catherine Antley, Secretary and Treasurer of Isaac. Thank you, Dr. Finn. My name is Catherine Antley. I am Secretary, Treasurer of Isaac. I'm a medical doctor, pathologist, and laboratory director. I share my colleagues' concerns about the increase in cannabis use and the impacts we're seeing. Isaac has assembled world leaders in the field of cannabis-induced illness and addiction. I would like to highlight the work of one of our leading advisory board members, Sir Robin Murray, Professor Kings College London, who's one of the world's most respected authorities in the field of schizophrenia and psychosis. While cannabis impacts health in many different ways, perhaps the most devastating is its link to psychosis and schizophrenia. Regarding this, Sir Robin Murray states, no serious scientist continues to dispute that cannabis is a component cause of psychosis. The evidence goes far beyond association studies. They're randomized controlled studies, they're genetic studies, they're animal studies. They're complicated designs which strengthen the case of this causality. Importantly, scientists use these same criteria to determine smoking is not just associated with cancer but causes cancer. Just a few data points. Nearly half of patients who present with cannabis-induced psychosis will convert to full-blown schizophrenia or bipolar disorder with psychosis. Their psychotic thinking does not necessarily clear when they stop using. Many of these individuals are left hearing voices, seen hallucinations or having paranoid delusions even without continued use of cannabis. Greater use of more potent products results in higher incidence of psychosis. The active ingredient in cannabis THC when given to normal volunteer groups creates psychotic symptoms in the laboratory. The majority of patients who develop psychosis or schizophrenia using cannabis have no family history of schizophrenia. In some cities 30 to 50 percent of patients who present to psychiatrists with first-episode psychosis have in fact cannabis-associated psychosis resulting from their regular regular use of just 10 to 15 percent THC. These patients would be well but for their cannabis use. Parents call me all the time. Last year a mom called to say that they had spent all of their retirement savings treating their son's cannabis addiction and yet today he's still using tormented by voices hallucinations and believing paranoid delusions. He's still suffering and that family is still suffering. Marijuana addiction and diseases that can result from its use like schizophrenia are devastating and also difficult to treat using rehabs, medication, antipsychotics or therapy. Public health scientists have known for decades that drug treatment is the least effective most expensive way to deal with an epidemic of addiction which now touches one in three American families. In 1964 when medical scientists finally linked smoking to cancer there was public outcry and as a result in the following years warning labels were required on packaging advertising was banned on broadcast media and an ongoing annual review and report was ordered by the committee on the health consequences of smoking. We saw tobacco use decrease. Unfortunately now we're in the storm of increasing drug and cannabis use in the U.S. yet when implemented scientifically proven and effective prevention methods have been shown to decrease addiction across substances reliably and consistently across cultures and socioeconomic groups. Prevention is possible with cannabis. This type of effective prevention must begin with a frank discussion and acknowledgement of the negative health impacts of cannabis use. Thank you and I now pass to Dr. Renette Lev. Thank you Dr. Antly. You provide a compelling example of psychosis a subject that people can learn more about on our Isaac website IASIC1.org. We will provide a link in the chat. We're very proud of the Isaac Medical Library. It is available on our Isaac website and contains peer-reviewed medical literature about marijuana or cannabis that's translated into terminology that allows for informed decision-making by the general public. Let me take you on a tour of the library. It is organized by categories and each category has summary statements, expanded summaries and links to the medical reference. There are many categories from addiction, allergies, autism to seizures, violence and withdrawal. The library provides definitions for cannabis versus marijuana and industrial hemp. Let's look at an example. We are now on the Isaac1.org website under the tab library and if we look at the categories we can select the one that says cancer. Clicking on cancer it takes you to a statement. Testicular cancer is associated with over two-fold risk of marijuana users. If we open that tab to expand there are three articles that back up that statement on testicular cancer with a summary and a link to the original medical research. We provide this library free to the public as well as a resource to both health professionals and drug prevention specialists. We want people to be informed decision makers. Today if you pick up a cigarette you know the risks, the risks of cancer and facema and addiction. You may be asked to smoke away from others. We want the public to know the risks of marijuana with addiction, psychosis, cancer, autism, second-hand smoke and more. If you choose to use you may be asked to do so away from kids and not get behind the wheel. The mission of Isaac, the International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis is to provide education by doctors. I will now pass to Joe Eberstein who heads the San Diego Marijuana Prevention Initiative. Thank you Dr. Levin and thank you to the doctors for this much needed public health information. I'm the program manager for the San Diego County Marijuana Prevention Initiative and I'm with the Center for Community Research. I work with youth to educate about marijuana harms. Over the past five years San Diego County has seen an increase in marijuana poison control calls, emergency room visits, treatment admits for youth and lung injuries due to marijuana. I very much appreciate this new Isaac resource. We in prevention are consistently told by public officials and politicians that we do not have enough medical literature on marijuana harms to support policies that limit youth access and enhance public health. This new resource puts that myth to rest. This easy to navigate website will help inform our community. I want to thank Isaac for this resource and let people know a link to the Isaac Library is on our website ccrconsulting.org forward slash mbi and it's also in the chat box. Thank you now to Dr. Levin. Thank you Joe and thank you to Dr. Eric Voth, Dr. Ken Finn and Dr. Catherine Antley. We want to inform the medical community on the science and data that is available today and we want the public to be informed decision makers. The public hears about miraculous cures of cannabis and CBD without the science and data on the risks and harms and unfortunately I see some of these people as patients in the emergency department. Isaac brings science and data to the risk benefit calculations of using marijuana. All our physicians who spoke today can be contacted through our website isaac1.org I-A-S-I-C-1.org