PRO-POT DOCS ORGANIZE

Emerging Group Organized In Part By Goleta's Dr. David Bearman

In a move designed to lend another layer of legitimacy to the
emerging national medical marijuana movement, the American Academy of
Cannabinoid Medicine (AACM) announced its formal formation this week.
Organized in part by Goleta-based physician David Bearman, the
academy will, among other things, work to inform the professional
medical community about the clinical utility of cannabis-based
medicine, offer board certification -- via written and oral tests --
for physicians, and, as a result, work to curb the quasi-unethical
practice of doctors giving recommendations to hopeful pot patients
without adequate exams or appropriate medical conditions. "We want to
ensure that there is only the highest quality of medicine being done
by doctors," explained Bearman, who will serve as the vice president
of credentialing and quality.

Including California, there are currently 14 states that legally
recognize medicinal use of cannabis. The AACM, however, is the first
attempt to bring a set of standards and practices and assorted other
professional gravitas to the doctors across the country who treat
conditions like AIDS, chronic pain, and symptoms from cancer
treatment with a plant that is illegal in the eyes of the federal
government. The first round of testing for board certification will
take place in Seattle in August, according to Bearman.