Last updated on: 9/4/2007 | Author: ProCon.org

Avram Goldstein, MD Biography

Title:
Former Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology at Stanford University
Position:
Pro to the question "Should Marijuana Be a Medical Option?"
Reasoning:

“We know that there are no extreme toxicity issues. It is a very safe drug, and therefore it would be perfectly safe medically to let the patient determine their own dose by the smoking route.”

Feb. 27, 1997
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
     Key Experts
Physicians [Physicians are the "key experts" in the medical marijuana debate because the issue is thought by many to be ultimately based on the medical value and risks of marijuana, and Physicians, with their training and clinical work, should (at least in theory) have the best knowledge of marijuana's medical value and risks.] [Note: Key Experts definition varies by sites that have this designation.]
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology, Stanford University
  • Member, National Academy of Sciences
  • Chairman, Section of Physiology and Pharmacology, National Academy of Sciences
  • Member, Institute of Medicine
  • Consultant, Receptron, Inc.
  • Consultant, Neurobiological Technologies, Inc.
  • Consultant and Founding Scientist, Affymax, N.V.
  • Recipient, Franklin Medal
  • Recipient, Nathan B.Eddy Award
  • Recipient, Sollmann Award
  • Director, Addiction Research Foundation, Stanford University, 1955-1989
  • Served two terms on the National Advisory Council of the National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • Former Honorary Professor, Beijing Medical University
  • Former Honorary Professor, Institute of Materia Medica of the Academia Sinica
  • Former Scientific Advisor, Syva Company
  • Former Scientific Advisor, DNAX Research Institute
  • Former Scientific Advisor, Abbott Laboratories
Education:
  • None found
Other:
  • Established the first methadone program in California, in San Jose
  • Contributed important research findings on the use of methadone, LAAM, and naltrexone in the treatment of heroin addicts
  • Played a key role in the development of rapid and efficient on-site urine tests for illicit drug use
  • Born July 3, 1919 in New York City
  • Died June 1, 2012