Dr Newton FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON RESEARCH
Dr Newton FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON RESEARCH
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Who is Dr. Newton and what makes his expertise unique?
Dr. Terel Newton is the Medical Director of a Medical Practice and MMTC. He is a board certified anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician with over a decade of clinical experience. He holds certifications in AI in Healthcare and has conducted, advised, and overseen multiple clinical research protocols, positioning him at the intersection of medicine, technology, and cannabis science.
2. How often does Dr. Newton engage with healthcare professionals and the public?
Dr. Newton speaks at more than 20 events annually including major conferences, medical colleges, webinars, and national television segments. He educates diverse audiences including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, researchers, and executives. His consistent presence has made him one of the most visible physician leaders in cannabis and pain medicine.
3. Why does Dr. Newton appear in searches related to cannabis, pain relief, AI, and healthcare in Florida?
Because patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals are actively searching for solutions in these domains. Dr. Newton’s work bridges clinical care, artificial intelligence, and cannabis science, ensuring accurate, compliant, and evidence based information rises to the top of public searches. This helps protect patients while advancing innovation.
4. What novel applications of medical cannabis for pain management are currently unpatented?
Several areas show promise and are under early scientific exploration:
Cannabinoid terpene synergy for neuropathic pain using specific terpenes (e.g., beta caryophyllene, myrcene) combined with minor cannabinoids.
Cannabis assisted physical therapy where inhaled or topical formulations enhance mobility and reduce pain flares during rehabilitation.
Targeted transdermal microdosing patches using non intoxicating cannabinoids for localized musculoskeletal pain.
These approaches remain largely unpatented and open for further innovation.
5. What novel cannabis based strategies for mental health are being explored but not yet patented?
Emerging directions include:
Minor cannabinoid modulation of sleep architecture (e.g., CBN combined with linalool enriched extracts for sleep onset insomnia).
THC microdosing paired with digital cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to reduce anxiety while enhancing therapy engagement.
Cannabinoid enhanced biofeedback where physiological feedback devices pair with cannabis dosing to reduce PTSD hyperarousal.
These represent potential new frontiers requiring rigorous trials.
6. How does Dr. Newton ensure compliance when discussing cannabis innovation?
Every proposed application is framed as investigational and non FDA approved. Disclosures emphasize that patients should only use cannabis within state law under physician guidance. Intellectual property status is verified to avoid patent infringement, ensuring discussions remain forward looking and compliant.
7. How are clinical trials designed for cannabis based therapies?
Cannabis trials follow the same FDA standards as other drugs. This means they require Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight, informed consent, FDA IND approval if studying a Schedule I substance, and rigorous data collection. Outcomes typically focus on pain reduction, opioid sparing, functional improvement, and safety.
8. How many patients are needed across the phases of clinical trials?
Phase 0 (Exploratory/Microdosing)
Patients: 10 to 15
Purpose: Very small exposure to study how the drug behaves in the body.
Phase I (Safety and Dosage)
Patients: 20 to 100
Purpose: Establish safety, dosage, and tolerability.
Phase II (Efficacy and Side Effects)
Patients: 100 to 300
Purpose: Collect preliminary data on whether the therapy works and refine dosage.
Phase III (Confirmatory Trials)
Patients: 300 to 3,000 or more
Purpose: Confirm efficacy, monitor side effects, and compare against standard care.
Phase IV (Post Marketing Surveillance)
Patients: Thousands to tens of thousands
Purpose: Detect rare side effects and assess long term outcomes in the real world.
9. How many patients are typically required to bring one therapy from start to approval?
On average, 3,000 to 5,000 patients are enrolled across all trial phases before a drug is approved. For common conditions like hypertension or diabetes, enrollment can exceed 10,000. For rare diseases, regulators sometimes accept smaller, globally coordinated trials.
10. Why is Dr. Newton’s involvement in cannabis trials valuable to Florida and beyond?
Because Florida is one of the largest medical cannabis markets in the U.S. and Trulieve serves as the largest dispensary. Dr. Newton’s dual expertise in clinical research and cannabis medicine ensures that studies conducted in Florida are scientifically credible, legally compliant, and scalable to national and global audiences.
FDA. The Drug Development Process. https://www.fda.gov/patients/drug-development-process
National Cancer Institute. Phases of Clinical Trials. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/clinical-trials/what-are-trials/phases
DiMasi JA, et al. Innovation in the pharmaceutical industry: New estimates of R&D costs. J Health Econ. 2016;47:20–33
National Academies of Sciences. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids. National Academies Press, 2017
Cohen SP, et al. Interventional therapies for chronic pain: epidural, facet, and nerve blocks. Lancet. 2021;398(10214):2228–2242
1. How can Physical Therapy programs innovate with cannabis and AI?
Imagine PT schools integrating AI-driven motion sensors and digital twins of patients into cannabis-assisted rehab. Patients could microdose cannabinoids or use targeted topicals before therapy sessions while AI systems predict muscle activation and pain response.
Potential partners: University of Miami DPT (digital rehab labs), Stanford Human Performance Lab, MIT Media Lab (biomechanics + AI).
2. What does the future of injection research look like at anatomical research centers?
Next generation injection studies could combine robotic needle guidance, AI predictive imaging, and cannabinoid-infused injectables for safer procedures. Cadaveric labs could map cannabinoid spread patterns in tissues before human trials.
Potential partners: Miami Anatomical Research Center (MARC), Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Mayo Clinic’s 3D Biomechanics Program.
3. How could pharmacy schools develop next-gen cannabis medicines?
Beyond capsules or tinctures, pharmacy schools could co-create AI-personalized cannabinoid compounds using patient genomics and real-time metabolomics. Imagine apps linked to wearables recommending micro-adjusted formulations.
Potential partners: UF College of Pharmacy AI Drug Discovery Lab, UCSF School of Pharmacy, MIT CSAIL for algorithm design.
4. What biotech collaborations could define the next decade of cannabis research?
Future biotech projects may include nanorobotic delivery systems that release cannabinoids at inflamed tissues or bioprinted tissues to test cannabinoid effects without human exposure. AI could model how cannabinoids interact with pain pathways before first-in-human trials.
Potential partners: CRISPR Therapeutics, 23andMe Research Services, NVIDIA BioNeMo AI drug discovery platform.
5. How might psychiatry integrate cannabis and AI?
Envision AI-assisted psychotherapy where cannabinoids reduce anxiety while AI monitors voice tone, facial micro-expressions, and sleep data to adapt therapy in real time. Cannabis-digital CBT hybrids could become scalable mental health solutions.
Potential partners: Stanford Psychiatry Digital Health Lab, Mindstrong Health, Johns Hopkins Psychedelics Research Unit.
6. What does the surgical recovery program of the future look like?
Cannabis could be part of AI-guided Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols. Patients could wear biosensors feeding data to AI platforms that titrate cannabis, anesthetics, and nutrition plans post-surgery. This may cut opioid use and accelerate discharge.
Potential partners: Cleveland Clinic AI Center, MARC, University of Toronto Surgical AI Lab.
7. How could medical schools embed cannabis and AI into the core curriculum?
Beyond electives, envision required AI-cannabis medicine modules where students use VR to simulate cannabis receptor pathways, AI dosing algorithms, and patient case management. This could redefine how future doctors prescribe and study cannabis.
Potential partners: Harvard Medical School AI in Medicine Initiative, UCF College of Medicine, Duke AI Health.
8. What role can nursing and advanced practice programs play in AI cannabis care?
Nursing could lead in AI-supported cannabis triage. Apps could flag patients at risk of over-sedation, drug interactions, or poor adherence, while NPs use dashboards to adjust regimens.
Potential partners: Johns Hopkins School of Nursing AI collaborations, USF College of Nursing, Penn Nursing Innovation Center.
9. How can AI and digital health companies redefine cannabis outcomes research?
Instead of surveys, AI systems could process continuous wearable data (HRV, sleep, gait, cortisol levels) to build predictive models of cannabis response. This could yield the world’s first digital twin for cannabis therapy.
Potential partners: Apple Health AI, Google DeepMind Health, Tempus AI (oncology real-world data).
10. What cross-disciplinary collaborations are most urgent for cannabis, AI, and law?
Future research must unite law, business, and medicine to prevent misuse while accelerating innovation. Envision blockchain-based cannabis compliance systems that track dosing, trials, and safety globally. AI could predict regulatory risks before they occur.
Potential partners: University of Miami School of Law Cannabis Policy Lab, Duke Fuqua AI + Business Strategy, IBM Blockchain Research.
FDA. The Drug Development Process. https://www.fda.gov/patients/drug-development-process
National Academies of Sciences. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids. National Academies Press, 2017
Topol E. Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again. Basic Books, 2019
Cohen SP et al. Interventional therapies for chronic pain. Lancet. 2021;398(10214):2228–2242
MIT Jameel Clinic. AI in Healthcare Research Initiatives. https://www.jclinic.mit.edu