Sheila Pakdaman

Sheila Pakdaman is a published researcher in the fields of neurochemistry, communicable diseases and drug dependency. She received her B.S. in biopsychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara Psychology and Brain Sciences, and her M.S. in global medicine from the Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California. Sheila currently lectures at University of California, Los Angeles Extension in the Alcohol and Drug Counseling Program, educating aspiring drug counselors. She aims to continue her research and education in the neurosciences and earn an M.D./Ph.D. in the near future.

Articles by Sheila Pakdaman

• Examining the link between mental health and opioid abuse

  Thursday, February 02, 2017

  For more than 5,000 years, people have been using opioid-based medications around the globe. It isn't exactly news that we, as a nation, are facing an opium problem. The New York Times calls it "America's 50-state epidemic," meaning it's not just effecting a region, it's affecting the places we least expect as well.

• What the new legalization of marijuana in California means

  Thursday, December 01, 2016

  On Nov. 8, Californians voted for our next president, and we also voted on a series of propositions. One of the most watched of these propositions was Proposition 64, the legalization of the use of marijuana. About 13 million Californians voted on Proposition 64, and 56 percent were in favor, thus passing the law. In 1996, Proposition 215 had legalized medical marijuana, so how is Proposition 64 any different? It legalizes recreational use — with restrictions.