Table 1. Education Session Core Components.

Core Component	Description
History	•History of ancient use, prohibition and legalization
Mechanism of Action	•A description of the endocannabinoid system in relation to its components, role in chronic illness, and distribution throughout the body
Plant Basics	•Defining basic plant biology and nomenclature (e.g. species, subspecies, strains)
Active Components	•A general description of THC and CBD, their known and potential therapeutic as well as harmful effects
Potential Therapeutic Benefits with Use	•A description of acute and chronic benefits of cannabis use as it pertains to chronic illness, with supporting evidence from literature
Known and Potential Risks with Use	•A description of acute and chronic harms of cannabis use as it pertains to chronic illness, with supporting evidence from literature
	•Examples of acute effects
	º Euphoria, dysphoria, anxiogenesis, psychosis
	º Bronchitis, COPD exacerbation
	º Appetite changes, Nausea, Vomiting
	º Hyper/hypotension, Tachycardia
	º Cognitive impairment while trying to concentrate or operate machinery
	•Examples of chronic adverse effects
	º Changes in cognition, memory and motor responsiveness (particularly in younger users)
	º Potential risks of COPD and Lung Cancer with inhalation
	º More severe episodes of mania, depression and cycling in pre-existing patients with bipolar disorder
	º Increased prevalence of developing bipolar disorder or psychotic disorders in younger users with a genetic predisposition to either conditions
	º Addiction to cannabis
	º Risk of worsening depression and anxiety
Dosage Forms	•A description of current forms of licit and regulated medical cannabis products (e.g. dried forms and extracts)
	•A description of illicit products (e.g. concentrates, edibles and topicals)
	•A comparison and contrast between the effects of predominantly CBD based formulations, even amounts of CBD and THC formulations, and predominantly THC based formulations
Delivery Methods	•A contrast between inhalational, oral and topical forms of cannabis, with an emphasis of the respiratory effects and acute intoxicating effects of inhalation as compared to oral cannabis use.
	•A simplified description of the pharmacokinetic differences (onset, duration, distribution and elimination) between inhalation and oral administration of cannabis.
Dosing	•Encouragement on the use of oral delivery methods as opposed to inhalational due to unknown risks with chronic inhalational use on COPD and Cancer
	•Encouragement on the selection of a predominantly CBD product among naïve users to mitigate the negative psychotropic effects attributable to THC
	•A start low and go slow emphasis on slow upward titration
	•A description of a target dose, and advice on what is considered a treatment failure with a particular product, and when to consider modifying product selection
Logistics, Cost, Travel and Possession Limits	•Advice on how to acquire cannabis legitimately through a medical practitioner
	•Advice on how to manage out of pocket costs associated with purchasing cannabis for medical purposes
	•Advice on how to navigate travel with cannabis during domestic and international travel

THC – Tetrahydrocannabinol, CBD – Cannabidiol, COPD – Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease