ASA Connect

Medical marijuana has been made legal in Missouri and, as a result, companies seeking to produce and market it are popping up all over the state.

I've had preliminary talks with one of these companies to design and conduct product improvement studies. So, far, we have not reached an agreement on whether or when these studies will occur.

Now, the founder of the company with which I have been in talks has asked me to be on his company's advisory board.  Given marijuana's pharmacological properties, someone like me with a PhD in molecular pharmacology, graduate work in applied stats, and research and consulting experience seems to me to be a good choice for an advisory board for this type of business from a purely scientific standpoint.

However, I have not been part of advisory boards previously so I'm ill prepared to give him an answer.

My question(s) to all of you:  What are the ethical and other implications of participating in advisory boards?  Have any of you had experience with advisory boards? Does it conflict ethically with our professional obligation to provide unbiased recommendations?  Did you get paid for your work?  How did you clarify what you could and couldn't (or wouldn't) participate in or perform on behalf of the advisory board?  What other considerations should I keep in mind that, due to my lack of experience with advisory boards, haven't even occurred to me?  Of these, the ethical considerations rank highest in my concern followed by legal implications.  I'm definitely going to talk to my lawyer and have my errors and omissions insurance agent review my policy with regards to this.

Thanks in advance for your advice.  I appreciate it.

Linda

------------------------------
Linda A. Landon, PhD, ELS, PRC

Research Communiqué
Business, Marketing, & Policy Research

www.researchcommunique.com
LandonPhD@ResearchCommunique.com
573-797-4517

PhD, Molecular Pharmacology
Graduate Certificate, Applied Statistics
Board-Certified Editor in the Life Sciences
------------------------------

Hi Linda,
I'm not sure if this is going to help, but here's my $0.02.
For ethics: You're being asked to be on the Advisory board. The thought is that you'd be advising given then knowledge that you have. This is where your ethics come in. You can make your position known, whether you're being asked to draw a bad conclusions or asked to design your study (or whatever) badly or in a biased way. This is where you lead. You're the expert.
I was hired for my expertise. I was expected to give the powers that be the best advice I could, but I was NOT on an advisory board. I was pushed to provide bad data, data that "Proved" their point. Given my position, I could only strenuously object. Not only did I do so visibly in meetings, with appropriate explanation as to why it was wrong, but also in writing. Ultimately, they ended up accepting my objections, but six months later I was asked to leave. That's something else you need to consider. I'm not sorry about anything that happened, especially given what I was asked to do. Please note, I only have a Master's, so your position could vary drastically from mine.
I have one other thought that you might want to consider (although I have NO experience here). The use of Marijuana is still a hotly debated subject, even here in Washington state, where it's been legal for a number of years. Some people are very opposed to the idea, which could influence hiring practices in some companies. Do you want your resume/research history to include Marijuana studies/research? I'm not advising one way or the other. I'm just surprised that the debate is still going on and different people's opinion on the matter.
Hope this helps.

------------------------------
Jessica Walls
Northwest Analytics, Inc.
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2019 09:23
From: Linda Landon
Subject: Considerations of being on a company's advisory board

Medical marijuana has been made legal in Missouri and, as a result, companies seeking to produce and market it are popping up all over the state.

I've had preliminary talks with one of these companies to design and conduct product improvement studies. So, far, we have not reached an agreement on whether or when these studies will occur.

Now, the founder of the company with which I have been in talks has asked me to be on his company's advisory board.  Given marijuana's pharmacological properties, someone like me with a PhD in molecular pharmacology, graduate work in applied stats, and research and consulting experience seems to me to be a good choice for an advisory board for this type of business from a purely scientific standpoint.

However, I have not been part of advisory boards previously so I'm ill prepared to give him an answer.

My question(s) to all of you:  What are the ethical and other implications of participating in advisory boards?  Have any of you had experience with advisory boards? Does it conflict ethically with our professional obligation to provide unbiased recommendations?  Did you get paid for your work?  How did you clarify what you could and couldn't (or wouldn't) participate in or perform on behalf of the advisory board?  What other considerations should I keep in mind that, due to my lack of experience with advisory boards, haven't even occurred to me?  Of these, the ethical considerations rank highest in my concern followed by legal implications.  I'm definitely going to talk to my lawyer and have my errors and omissions insurance agent review my policy with regards to this.

Thanks in advance for your advice.  I appreciate it.

Linda

------------------------------
Linda A. Landon, PhD, ELS, PRC

Research Communiqué
Business, Marketing, & Policy Research

www.researchcommunique.com
LandonPhD@ResearchCommunique.com
573-797-4517

PhD, Molecular Pharmacology
Graduate Certificate, Applied Statistics
Board-Certified Editor in the Life Sciences
------------------------------

Jessica,

Thanks for your insight based on your experience and for comparing and contrasting your situation to my prospective situation.  You touched on all of the issues that were troubling me so I really appreciate that you shared your insight.

Interestingly, here in deepest of deep red Missouri, the medical cannabis amendment passed with 66% of the vote.  Our voters tend to be older.  Our amendment dictates a doctor's authorization and limits the number of plants and amounts that can be possessed.  There remains significant opposition to medical cannabis. 

I liked your point about the career implications; it's a consideration for both employees and independent contractors.  Personally, I will be an independent contractor for the rest of my career; but even then, there are clients out there who might refuse to work with someone with ties to the cannabis industry.  Point well made on your part. 

On the concept of participating in advising on hot-button issues such as cannabis (and vaccinations, etc.), this situation has made me to consider the ethical obligation of scientists to contribute their knowledge to these issues and how to contribute their knowledge responsibly to make sure that the public is well-educated on the appropriate use, dangers, and limitations.  Even if I were opposed to medical cannabis, I still have knowledge pertinent to the discussion that could affect people's well-being.  But, that's a whole 'nother discussion.

Again, thanks for your help.

Linda

------------------------------
Linda A. Landon, PhD, ELS, PRC

Research Communiqué
Business, Marketing, & Policy Research

www.researchcommunique.com
LandonPhD@ResearchCommunique.com
573-797-4517

PhD, Molecular Pharmacology
Graduate Certificate, Applied Statistics
Board-Certified Editor in the Life Sciences
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 07-29-2019 09:14
From: Jessica Walls
Subject: Considerations of being on a company's advisory board

Hi Linda,
I'm not sure if this is going to help, but here's my $0.02.
For ethics: You're being asked to be on the Advisory board. The thought is that you'd be advising given then knowledge that you have. This is where your ethics come in. You can make your position known, whether you're being asked to draw a bad conclusions or asked to design your study (or whatever) badly or in a biased way. This is where you lead. You're the expert.
I was hired for my expertise. I was expected to give the powers that be the best advice I could, but I was NOT on an advisory board. I was pushed to provide bad data, data that "Proved" their point. Given my position, I could only strenuously object. Not only did I do so visibly in meetings, with appropriate explanation as to why it was wrong, but also in writing. Ultimately, they ended up accepting my objections, but six months later I was asked to leave. That's something else you need to consider. I'm not sorry about anything that happened, especially given what I was asked to do. Please note, I only have a Master's, so your position could vary drastically from mine.
I have one other thought that you might want to consider (although I have NO experience here). The use of Marijuana is still a hotly debated subject, even here in Washington state, where it's been legal for a number of years. Some people are very opposed to the idea, which could influence hiring practices in some companies. Do you want your resume/research history to include Marijuana studies/research? I'm not advising one way or the other. I'm just surprised that the debate is still going on and different people's opinion on the matter.
Hope this helps.

------------------------------
Jessica Walls
Northwest Analytics, Inc.

Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2019 09:23
From: Linda Landon
Subject: Considerations of being on a company's advisory board

Medical marijuana has been made legal in Missouri and, as a result, companies seeking to produce and market it are popping up all over the state.

I've had preliminary talks with one of these companies to design and conduct product improvement studies. So, far, we have not reached an agreement on whether or when these studies will occur.

Now, the founder of the company with which I have been in talks has asked me to be on his company's advisory board.  Given marijuana's pharmacological properties, someone like me with a PhD in molecular pharmacology, graduate work in applied stats, and research and consulting experience seems to me to be a good choice for an advisory board for this type of business from a purely scientific standpoint.

However, I have not been part of advisory boards previously so I'm ill prepared to give him an answer.

My question(s) to all of you:  What are the ethical and other implications of participating in advisory boards?  Have any of you had experience with advisory boards? Does it conflict ethically with our professional obligation to provide unbiased recommendations?  Did you get paid for your work?  How did you clarify what you could and couldn't (or wouldn't) participate in or perform on behalf of the advisory board?  What other considerations should I keep in mind that, due to my lack of experience with advisory boards, haven't even occurred to me?  Of these, the ethical considerations rank highest in my concern followed by legal implications.  I'm definitely going to talk to my lawyer and have my errors and omissions insurance agent review my policy with regards to this.

Thanks in advance for your advice.  I appreciate it.

Linda

------------------------------
Linda A. Landon, PhD, ELS, PRC

Research Communiqué
Business, Marketing, & Policy Research

www.researchcommunique.com
LandonPhD@ResearchCommunique.com
573-797-4517

PhD, Molecular Pharmacology
Graduate Certificate, Applied Statistics
Board-Certified Editor in the Life Sciences
------------------------------