MyCannabis Interviews Medical Cannabis Program Director Timothy Byars

By Pacific College - July 18, 2022
Timothy Byars

MyCannabis recently conducted an interview with Pacific College’s Director of Medical Cannabis Programs, Timothy Byars. An overwhelming majority of doctors complete medical school without learning anything about the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which he says is “too vast a physiological system and too important to continue to ignore”, or even medical cannabis in general. Most medical professionals learn about it at conferences, not in an academic setting.

The Need for Endocannabinoid System Education in Medical Schools

“I think medical schools will eventually begin to incorporate information about the ECS—it’s too vast a physiological system and too important to continue to ignore. In the meanwhile, healthcare professionals will need to continue getting this information through emerging programs and through self-study,†said Byars. In the meantime, one way professionals can learn about the ECS is through Pacific College’s new Master of Science in Medical Cannabis Therapeutics program (MS-MCT), launching in September 2022. This 30-credit, 10-course degree prepares students to embark upon careers in the burgeoning cannabis industry as healthcare providers, advocates, coaches,  entrepreneurs, and educators.

Addressing the Future and Safety of Cannabis in Healthcare

MyCannabis and Byars discussed the new program, how he got his start in the field, steps towards better education within the field, and where he sees the future of cannabis–particularly in the context of critics who claim it still isn’t safe. The safety of therapeutic uses of cannabis does not need to be proven absolute, as no conventional drug is 100% risk-free; instead, “when we apply conventional drug safety standards to cannabis, we can confidently conclude that cannabis is as safe as many conventional medications, and clearly safer than many commonly prescribed medications, based on the objective metrics used to measure drug safety,” says Byars.


Interested in learning more about the Master’s of Science in Medical Cannabis Therapeutics program?

For more information about the MS-MCT program, visit the program page, call (619) 574-0843, or fill out our contact form to be contacted by a Pacific College representative.

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Pacific College of Health and Science (PCHS) is a leading institution in holistic and integrative healthcare education, deeply rooted in Chinese medicine since 1986. As the largest school of Chinese medicine in the U.S., PCHS offers a wide range of innovative programs, including online and on-campus degrees in holistic nursing, massage therapy, and integrative medicine.

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