The off-label use of the cannabis plant in treating seizures has been known since ancient times. After many years of patient testimonials, clinical trials, and research in 2019 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Epidiolex, a cannabidiol (CBD) oral solution for the treatment of certain types of seizures.

While not everyone with epilepsy should or would consider medical cannabis or cannabidiol (CBD) as a treatment option, many people living with uncontrolled seizures have reported beneficial effects and reduced seizure activity when using medical cannabis especially strains rich in CBD.

We welcome two guest speakers for this special presentation on epilepsy and cannabis. Dr. David Bearman M.D. has treated many epilepsy patients in his 40 years of medical practice. He will discuss the endocannabinoid system, retrograde inhibition, how cannabis works to decrease the frequency of epileptic episodes, and the side effects of cannabis. Joining him is William Britt, who's been living with epilepsy and using cannabis to control his seizures for more than 45 years.

Dr. David Bearman, M.D. is one of the most clinically knowledgeable physicians in the field of medical cannabis and currently serves as a Board Member of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine.William Britt is the Founder and Director of the Association of Patient Advocates, a court-qualified cannabis expert witness, and living with Post Polio Syndrome and Epilepsy.
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    Friends of the Farm Lecture Series
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    Dr. David Bearman, M.D.
    Retired Medical Doctor, Board Member of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine
    One of the most clinically knowledgeable physicians in the U.S. in the field of medical cannabis, he has spent 40 years working in substance and drug abuse treatment and prevention programs. Dr. Bearman was a pioneer in the free and community clinic movement. His career includes public health, administrative medicine, provision of primary care, pain management and cannabinology. He currently serves as the Vice President of Quality Assurance and Credentials for the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine.

    His almost 40 years of professional experience in the drug abuse treatment and prevention field includes being the Co-Director of the Haight-Ashbury Drug Treatment Program, being a member of Governor Reagan’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse, a member of both the Santa Barbara and the San Diego County Drug Abuse Technical Advisory Committees, and a consultant to Hoffman-LaRoche, Santa Barbara County Schools and the National PTA. He has been recognized by the Santa Barbara Medical Society with the Humanitarian Recognition Award.

    Dr. Bearman is also the author of Drugs Are NOT the Devil’s Tools: How Discrimination and Greed Created a Dysfunctional Drug Policy and How It Can Be Fixed in 2 volumes. He is featured in the Cannabis documentary, Medical Cannabis and Its Impact on Human Health:
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    William Britt
    Founder and Director of the Association for Patient Advocates
    As director of the Association of Patient Advocates over the last 25 years, William ‘Bill’ Britt has assisted hundreds of Medical Cannabis patients forced into court to convince judges and juries that they deserve the right to use, cultivate, manufacture, and even distribute cannabis for medical purposes. Over the years he has interviewed thousands of medical and recreational users of cannabis regarding methods and patterns of use. He also spoke with hundreds of doctors and healthcare professionals, cultivation experts, people who manufacture cannabis extracts and edible products, distributors, law enforcement officials, attorneys, scientists and other experts.

    Felix Kha, one of the patients Bill assisted, ended up having his cannabis returned after taken away by police (the case went all the way to the US Supreme Court and eventually forced all California enforcement agencies to return cannabis to patients). In 2002 Bill was arrested in Washington DC blocking the entrance to the HHS Building with other patients calling for rescheduling of cannabis, and later in 2002, filed a lawsuit with the Federal Government to reschedule, which was denied. He was also part of a lawsuit which forced San Diego County to recognize and provide County issued Cannabis Identification Cards.

    Bill is currently on the Panel of Experts for L.A. County Superior Court (2007-present), as a Cannabis Expert Witness regarding Cultivation, Manufacturing, Distribution, Patterns of use, and Child Endangerment and has testified as an expert in every county in Southern California (over 300 times).

    He is also a medical cannabis patient himself, living with Post-Polio Syndrome and Epilepsy most of his life, but found early on that cannabis provides much better relief from his symptoms than any Rx drug ever did. After over 30 years of taking anti-seizures medications and still having seizures, he began using only cannabis and has been seizure-free for the last 25 years.

    Recently (before the pandemic) he has been working with Orange County NORML and other groups to provide Cannabis training and education classes including Cannabis 101 and Budtender training. He has given lectures for students at Oaksterdam University in the past. (2007-2009)

    Over the last 25 years as a patient advocate, he has built a database of resources, information, studies, service providers, experts and patients regarding the use and benefits of cannabis for medical purposes.

    “My goals are to reduce the current fears and stigma associated with cannabis through education, training and to provide consulting services to government officials, healthcare professionals, corporations, and Potrepreneurs. Patients are still suffering needlessly and they need access to safe and affordable cannabis right now.”
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