Your goal is to demonstrate that you have a working

You are to write a paper examining a topic regarding pharmacology research.  The research may be basic science, translational, clinical, or a combination.  Your paper should include references to empirical data and should  not simply be a review of current clinical use, mechanism of action, or past history of a drug or class of drugs.  You  MUST  write on one of the paper topics below.

Your goal is to demonstrate that you have a working understanding of the pharmacological information presented in this course and that you are able to apply that understanding to new material.

Success in communicating scientific knowledge is dependent on not only the quality of the scientific content, but also your ability to coherently put your thoughts into words and the technical aspects of spelling and grammar.  With this in mind, your grade will be based on all of these aspects.  With that said, scientific writing should be succinct and to the point.  It should not be flowery and verbose.  Your goal is to make sure your writing style does not  detract from the effectiveness of the paper.  Write something that conveys your message, doesn’t have obvious grammatical mistakes, doesn’t have typos, and isn’t overtly clunky, and you should receive full points for your writing style. 

Allowed Topics

Medical use of cannabis to treat epilepsy.  Discuss quality data supporting the current use of epidiolex and  potential other treatments.

Medical cannabis and cancer.  Discuss quality data showing the successful use of cannabis either as a cancer treatment OR as an adjunctive treatment alongside traditional treatment.

Medical cannabis and chronic pain.  Discuss quality data supporting the use of cannabis to alleviate chronic pain.

Medical cannabis and post-traumatic stress disorder.  Discuss quality data supporting the use of cannabis to treat PTSD.

Research Paper Rubric:

1- Paper is at least 1,500 words. This does not include the title page or references.

2- The paper demonstrates that the author fully understands and has applied concepts learned in the course. Concepts are integrated into the writer’s own insights. The writer provides concluding remarks that show analysis and synthesis of ideas.

3- In-depth discussion & elaboration in all sections of the paper.

4- Ties together information from all sources. Paper flows from one issue to the next. Author's writing demonstrates an understanding of the relationship among material obtained from all sources.

5- No spelling and/or grammar mistakes.

6- Cites all information obtained from other sources. Primary sources used where possible. Molecular Pharmacology citation style is used in both text and bibliography.