With cannabis becoming more readily available in multiple states, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals need to have the most updated information available on cannabis and to help patients make informed decisions. This activity will provide an overview and updates on cannabis use in patients, mental health impacts and clinical practice recommendations based on the latest research.

Course References

• Abrams DI. The therapeutic effects of Cannabis and cannabinoids: An update from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report. Eur J Intern Med. 2018 Mar;49:7-11. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2018.01.003. Epub 2018 Jan 9. PMID: 29325791.
• Volkow ND, Swanson JM, Evins AE, DeLisi LE, Meier MH, Gonzalez R, Bloomfield MA, Curran HV, Baler R. Effects of Cannabis Use on Human Behavior, Including Cognition, Motivation, and Psychosis: A Review. JAMA Psychiatry. 2016 Mar;73(3):292-7. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.3278. PMID: 26842658.
• Williams AR, Hill KP. Cannabis and the Current State of Treatment for Cannabis Use Disorder. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2019 Apr;17(2):98-103. doi: 10.1176/appi.focus.20180038. Epub 2019 Apr 10. PMID: 31975964; PMCID: PMC6527009.
• Williams AR, Hill KP. Care of the Patient Using Cannabis. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Nov 3;173(9):ITC65-ITC80. doi: 10.7326/AITC202011030. PMID: 33137270.

Learning Objectives

• Explain the fundamental elements of cannabis components and epidemiology.
• Assess for use of cannabis and impacts of use as they related to mental health visits.
• Implement a clinical practice rooted in research to address cannabis in their settings.

Target Audience

Psychiatrists, Residents/Fellows

Estimated Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 60 minutes
Begin Date: May 14, 2021
End Date: May 14, 2024

How to Earn Credit

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course including the evaluation. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the completion date and hours earned. 

Continuing Education Credit

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The APA designates this enduring CME activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

Program Presenters

• Arthur Robin Williams, M.D., M.B.E., Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University Division on Substance Use Disorders; Research Scientist, New York State Psychiatric Institute. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Kevin Hill, M.D., M.H.S., Director of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Disclosure - Grant/Research: Greenwich Biosciences; Other: Wolters-Kluwer (Author).
• Smita Das, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., Medical Director of Psychiatry at Lyra Health and Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford School of Medicine. Disclosure - Stock: Equity in Lyra Health (not related to CME); Employee: Stanford.

Program Planners 

• Dr. Das, Smita, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Stanford. Disclosure - Stock: Equity in Lyra Health (not related to CME); Employee: Stanford.
• Dr. Hill, Kevin, M.D., Director, Division of Addiction Psychiatry Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. Disclosure - Grant/Research: Greenwich Biosciences; Other: Wolters-Kluwer (Author).
• Dr. Williams, Arthur, M.D., Assistant Professor Columbia University Department of Psychiatry New York State Psychiatric Institute. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 
• Dr. Vito, Jose, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, NYU. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Dr. Williams, Jill, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry Rutgers University-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Chair, APA. Council of Addiction Psychiatry. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 
• Dirst, Michelle, ‎Director, Practice Management and Delivery Systems Policy, APA. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Victor, Alexis, Manager, Practice Management and Systems Delivery Policy, APA. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Cates-Wessel, Kathryn, CEO, American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.

Technical Requirements

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
• Internet Explorer 11+

This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

Optimal System Configuration:

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact learningcenter@psych.org for technical assistance