Our speaker for this month is Dr. Bruce McKay who is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University. His research focuses on recreational alcohol and drug use in university students and mechanisms by which psychoactive drugs affect brain functions. He teaches neuroscience and pharmacology courses.
Dr. McKay grew up near Woodstock, Ontario, and completed his post-secondary education at Laurentian University, the University of Calgary, and the Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas). He has been a professor at Laurier since 2008.
He will be talking about: “The Brain on Cannabis” which will overview the effects that cannabis has on brain structures and functions and the resulting effects on the complexities of human behaviour. He will briefly discuss the neuroscience of short-term effects of cannabis (from the munchies to driving impairments to treatment of pain and other ailments), why it isn’t possible to lethally overdose on cannabis, long-term effects of cannabis (with a focus on addiction and the differential effects of cannabis on teenagers vs. adults), and review new cannabis laws in Canada and how those laws may intersect with an improved understanding of the neuroscience of cannabis.
For all our general meetings, the 'formal' part will start at 10:30am but the Zoom room(s) will be open from 10:00a.m. onwards if you want to sign-in early and 'mingle' with your fellow members.
