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1. Name: Daniel Brookoff, M.D., Ph.D.  
2. Title: Director, Methodist Comprehensive Pain Institute
3. Medical Marijuana
Position:		 Con to the question "Should marijuana be a medical option?"
4. Reasoning:

"My definition of a medication is a drug treatment that is aimed at one of the following three goals:

  1. the prolongation or preservation of life,
  2. the support of functioning or
  3. the relief of discomfort.

The use of drugs for other purposes is not medicine. My guiding principle in caring for a patient is that any medication that I use must be the best available treatment for that particular situation. Because of this, marijuana cannot be considered a medication."

Although classified as con to our question, Dr. Brookoff told Medical Marijuana ProCon in a 2002 phone interview that "although using a crude leaf as a medicine goes against how we [physicians] look at medicine in this country," his basic rule in medicine is, in the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, "Nothing is intrinsically good or evil, but its manner of usage may make it so."

He also mentioned in a 2005 email, "I would not turn in or stop a dying patient who was using marijuana, but I really would make an effort to offer that person a better alternative. That has always been the case with my practice." (2001/05)
5. Credibility
Ranking:		  Key Experts
Physicians [We believe 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.].

6. Involvement:
  • Dr. Brookoff has been active in substance abuse issues throughout his medical career.
  • He has spoken frequently about the alternatives to marijuana in pain management.
    7. Education:
    • M.D. - University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
    8. Relevant Affiliations/Honors:
    • Member - National Advisory Council for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
    • Vice Chairman - The International Drug Strategy Institute
    • University of Tennessee College of Medicine
    9. Contact Info:
    Phone: (901) 726-0999 Fax: None listed
    E-Mail:   brookofd@methodisthealth.org
    Web Site: None listed
    10. Other: None
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