On September 19, a leading physician specializing in cannabis therapeutics gave a workshop for more than 200 doctors. The Continuing Medical Education (CME) workshop on medical marijuana was the first hosted by Kaiser Permanente in San Jose.

More than 200 physicians attended the workshop conducted by Dr. David Bearman and coordinated by Americans for Safe Access.

Dr. Bearman’s presentation covered the history of medical cannabis, an overview of its many benefits, and the legal rights of physicians.

Dr. Bearman is a well-respected physician with extensive experience in public health. A graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine, Dr Bearman was the Director of Medical Services for the Santa Barbara Regional Health Authority (SBRHA) since its inception in 1983 through June 1997, when he became Senior Health Care Advisor/Grants Development Director.

He has a long and illustrious background in the field of drug abuse treatment and prevention, including serving as Medical Director of Santa Barbara County Methadone Maintenance Clinic and Ventura County Opiate Detox Program; teaching courses on substance abuse at UCSF, UCSB, and SDSU; and authoring numerous articles on drug abuse treatment and prevention, as well as other medical topics. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, the Harvard Business Review, and other publications.