Today's Perspective
Kristin Wiisanen PharmD, FAPhA, FCCP, Pharmacy Today editor in chief
As cannabis use becomes increasingly normalized across the United States, pharmacists stand at a critical junction between patient safety and evolving policy. While federal uncertainty continues to complicate cannabis regulation, state-level legalization has surged ahead, creating both opportunity and responsibility for pharmacists in all settings.
This month’s Pharmacy Today cover story shines a light on this uncertainty, particularly in vulnerable patient populations. In a recent JAPhA article, Mary Barna Bridgeman, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP, a clinical professor at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University, emphasizes that pharmacists should be prepared to counsel patients—whether they use cannabis medically or recreationally—on key safety considerations including adverse effects, drug interactions, pharmacokinetics, and dosing. Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to identify and prevent harm, especially among vulnerable populations who may not fully understand the risks of cannabis. Prenatal use of cannabis, for example, has nearly doubled in recent years but is far from innocuous. Many patients are unaware that tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, can cross the placenta during pregnancy, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends against its use in anyone who is pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding. Learn more about hidden dangers of cannabis use in select populations, and what your patients need to know, in this story.
In this issue of Today, you’ll also find counseling tips for patients using inhaled corticosteroids, read results of new research on nonadherence with high BP medications, and review treatment of iron deficiency in adults. Learn more about the pharmacist’s role in “community-centric care,” explore future trends in telehealth in pharmacy care, and get CPE credit with practical information in this month’s article on drug-induced photosensitivity.
As the landscape of cannabis use evolves, let us embrace this moment as an opportunity to reaffirm our role as trusted medication experts. Our proactive engagement—through continuing education, interprofessional collaboration, and direct patient counseling—can help reduce preventable harm and foster informed decision making. In this uncharted territory, patients need guidance. Let’s make sure they find it with us. ■