Margaret Gedde, MD, PhD, DABPath
Illuminating the medical and legal science of cannabis
Gedde Whole Health LLC
Medical Cannabis Physician Services & Cannabis-Related Expert Witness Services
Fredericksburg, VA
Gedde Whole Health provides evidence-based benefits through understanding what the potential uses, adverse events, and risks are of using medical cannabis.
Dr. Margaret Gedde is a private practice physician who guides patients in the medical uses of cannabis. A growing number of patients are looking for doctors who get how cannabis works and who can support them in reaching optimal medical benefits from their CBD dosing. Gedde Whole Health offers telemedicine-based patient services for children and adults who wish to safely and reliably use medical cannabis to improve their medical condition. Dr. Gedde also offers expert witness services for legal cases involving cannabis.
Cannabis refers to Cannabis sativa, a plant that produces over 100 of chemical substances and terpenes, the most widely studied of which are delta (9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD. Both THC and CBD have multiple recognized medically relevant effects in the human body. The remaining chemical substances and terpenes contribute to the smell, taste, and effects of cannabis. THC also has known intoxicating effects, and cannabis with THC at or above 0.3% by weight (marijuana) remains illegal to possess or market under U.S. federal law.
In contrast, cannabis with a THC level below 0.3% by weight (hemp) commonly is rich in CBD and is legal to possess and market under U.S. federal law as of 2018. Since CBD is non-intoxicating, and since many CBD effects complement those of THC, dosing that combines CBD and THC can be highly favorable for medical use.
Despite ongoing federal prohibition, an increasingly large number of states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use, and some states have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use. So, THC-containing products are available to many people who have interest in using cannabis medicinally.
Nationwide over-the-counter availability of hemp and its derivatives means that interested people have ready access to CBD for their medicinal use as well. Medicinal cannabis use in the United States has become increasingly common and socially accepted.
Cannabis refers to Cannabis sativa, a plant that produces over 100 of chemical substances and terpenes, the most widely studied of which are delta (9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD. Both THC and CBD have multiple recognized medically relevant effects in the human body. The remaining chemical substances and terpenes contribute to the smell, taste, and effects of cannabis. THC also has known intoxicating effects, and cannabis with THC at or above 0.3% by weight (marijuana) remains illegal to possess or market under U.S. federal law.
In contrast, cannabis with a THC level below 0.3% by weight (hemp) commonly is rich in CBD and is legal to possess and market under U.S. federal law as of 2018. Since CBD is non-intoxicating, and since many CBD effects complement those of THC, dosing that combines CBD and THC can be highly favorable for medical use.
Despite ongoing federal prohibition, an increasingly large number of states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use, and some states have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use. So, THC-containing products are available to many people who have interest in using cannabis medicinally.
Nationwide over-the-counter availability of hemp and its derivatives means that interested people have ready access to CBD for their medicinal use as well. Medicinal cannabis use in the United States has become increasingly common and socially accepted.
Cannabis can be endogenous (endocannabinoid), plant-derived (phytocannabinoid), or synthetic. They act in the human body primarily through the human endocannabinoid system (ECS), a key body system that acts on other body systems – for example, the nervous, immune, musculoskeletal, and gastrointestinal systems – to modulate them and return them to center when they are out of balance. Phytocannabinoids such as those from marijuana and hemp exert their effects mostly through the receptors of this natural healing and balancing body system. This is the reason why cannabis-based medicines can have so many different potential medical benefits while being remarkably non-toxic. In contrast to the potentially deadly effects of some routinely prescribed pharmaceutical medications, the annual rate of death from plant cannabinoid overdose is zero.
Dr. Gedde provides clinical expertise in medical use of cannabis- focused telemedicine practice. Her aim is to help patients reach their full potential medical improvement from use of cannabis – whether this involves using CBD, THC, a combination of these, or other cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC-A), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinol (CBN) and delta (8)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-8-THC).
Gedde Whole Health LLC accepts patients of all ages, from infants to senior citizens, and welcomes both experienced users of cannabis and those who are new to cannabis dosing. She helps patients treat specific conditions, reduce other medications, and improve their overall quality of life. Her seasoned clinical strategies account for drug interactions and allow patients to use cannabis safely while using other medications. Dr. Gedde works closely with her patients. At each appointment, she provides patient- specific dosing advice and carefully tracks each individual’s results. Working with the cannabis products available to them in their state or locality, Dr. Gedde guides each patient to discover which cannabinoid combinations and which dosing forms are most effective for their specific situation and medical condition.
Dr. Gedde is known for a clinical focus in use of cannabis for relief of pediatric epilepsy. She pioneered use of cannabinoids within a state medical marijuana program to treat pediatric epilepsy starting in 2012 and completed one of the earliest observational studies on effects of CBD-rich cannabis oil in pediatric epilepsy <link>. She also is experienced in use of cannabinoids in autism, for relief of symptoms such as anxiety, aggression, and difficult sensory processing in those on the autism spectrum.
Looking for a medical marijuana expert witness?
Gedde Whole Health provides highly credentialed expert witness services you can rely on.
About Dr. Margaret Gedde
Dr. Gedde received a B.A. from Columbia University and an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry from Stanford University. She completed residency training at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and obtained board certification in Clinical Pathology, the medical specialty that includes toxicology. Dr. Gedde conducted postdoctoral research into the molecular biology of bacterial pathogenesis at the University of California at Berkeley, then worked for five years in pharmaceutical drug development as a clinical microbiology director and consultant. In 2003, she opened her clinical practice, Gedde Whole Health, to support patient health and well-being through holistic, non-pharmaceutical and plant-based therapies.
Since 2010, her practice has focused on cannabis medicine. She has conducted and published cannabis clinical research and is known for expertise in the use of CBD for management of pediatric epilepsy. Since 2016, she has offered expert witness services for legal cases involving cannabis.
Qualifications & Experience
Margaret Gedde, MD, PhD, DABPath
- Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chemistry since 1993
- Board Certified in Clinical Pathology in 1997
- Diplomate of the American Board of Pathology since 1997
- Over 12 years in scientific laboratory research
- Over 4 years in pharmaceutical drug development
- In business since 2003
- In solo clinical practice since 2003
- Specializing in cannabis medicine since 2010
- Expert witness on legal cases involving cannabis since 2016
Illuminating the medical and legal science of cannabis
For legal teams, Gedde Whole Health is a valuable asset to call upon: From countering a prosecution’s expertise, to evaluating drug testing methods, to educating the jury on the current state of scientific discourse surrounding cannabis, an expert witness from Gedde Whole Health can help make your case long before it goes to trial. Unlike for alcohol, and despite laws passed in some states, a THC blood test does not reliably show whether a person is impaired to drive, or what the blood level may have been at an earlier time. As a medical toxicology expert witness, Dr. Gedde brings clarity to interpretation of blood cannabis in criminal and civil marijuana driving impairment (THC DUI) cases.
Questions?
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877-237-8571
mgedde@geddewholehealth.com
Hours
Mon – Fri: 10 AM – 6 PM ET
Sat: 12 PM – 4 PM ET
Location
Fredericksburg, VA