About Us

Since he was young, Charlie Piermarini has had a passion for medicine and people. During the summers, while an undergrad at The University of Arizona, he would work as an EMT at a summer camp serving both children and adults with special needs. Through these life-changing experiences, he knew he had to pursue his passion for medicine. After graduating with his Bachelor’s degree in Physiology he then also pursued his Master’s degree in Physiology from The University of Arizona. He was able to publish his Master’s thesis paper in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, which can be read here. He then attended the Touro University of California, where he completed a dual Master of Science in Physician Assistant Science (MSPAS) and Public Health (MPH) and graduated in 2015. He moved back to Arizona, where he practices family medicine, pain management, and urgent care. He realized he had a different view of medicine and found his passion in combining Eastern and Western medicine to help give his patients the best results. Like most medical professionals he had very little exposure to Cannabis in school and was introduced to the benefits by his patients. He noticed multiple patients returning to the clinic and describing needing less of their pain medications and some of them ultimately getting off their pain medications entirely. It was not until he had a life-changing encounter with a patient, that he started to take the potential benefits of Cannabis seriously. He went home and did a PubMed search of published research on Cannabis and was surprised to see thousands of peer-reviewed articles regarding Cannabis and its effects on the human body. He proceeded to read as many published articles as possible to better gain an understanding of Cannabis and the Endocannabinoid System. To further his education he became certified through Medical Marijuana 411 in their Medical Professional Cannabis Certification along with gaining his The Healer Certification for Medical Professionals through Healer, Inc. In order to better serve his clients and patients, he became a Certified Health Coach (CHC) through the National Society of Health Coaches (NSHC). For his work in promoting Cannabis and alternative healing methods, he was featured on the cover of Top Doctor Magazine with a corresponding multiple-page interview, the interview can be read here. In creating MedCanna Today (MCT), he wants to provide a central resource that combines information regarding the medical, research, legislative policy, and community around Cannabis to promote the safe usage of this extremely complex plant. He also wants to further the education of fellow medical professionals, so they at least feel comfortable and have a working knowledge of Cannabis and CBD. He is a co-author of a publication regarding how the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) has implications for the recognition and control of pain, it can be found here. He also was a co-author in a letter to the editor of Pain and Therapy describing how CBD could be a new tool for pain management providers, the paper can be found here.