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As for the cannabis activists, I’m reminded of an aphorism from Nietzsche, which I can only paraphrase: “If you automatically react against something, you are just as controlled by it as if you comply.” Confronted with relentless negative, and at times dubious, information about cannabis from the U.S. government and from anti-cannabis researchers, cannabis advocates have counterreacted and reflexively dismissed concerns about potential harms. Many of these studies are valid and important, or at least hypothesis generating, with major implications for health and harm reduction. Cannabis Unites Program of Neurosciences, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, Pamplona 31008, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, School of Science, University of Navarra, Pamplona 31008, Spain. What we must not forget is the cruel, pointless, and destructive criminalization—over the last eight decades—that forced tens of millions, in the United States alone, to suffer, to resist, to struggle, and, ultimately, to carry us to where we are today with a burgeoning legalization movement. We are just beginning to discuss rebuilding the communities that have been harmed by the War on Cannabis. The battles over legalization, pardons, expungements, reparations, and the future direction of the cannabis industry are far from over. Stop making cannabis into tasty edibles, chocolates, or candies that any small child (or pet) would happily overconsume.
Come up with standardized dosages to help make research and clinical care more consistent, for each type of consumpion method. What differences are observed between the eyes of different types of cannabis users (for example, occasional/regular/abusers or recreational/medicinal)? Limiting or banning advertising for cannabis, at the same time as we ban it for tobacco, alcohol, and Big Pharma too. None of these ads are helpful to society As cannabis increasingly becomes mainstream for medicinal uses, or for whichever wellness and lifestyle enhancement people augment with cannabis – mindfulness, social connection, creativity, spirituality, enjoyment of sex, art and music — it is critical to educate cannabis users about how to use cannabis safely. Understanding that everyone’s needs and habits are different, here are some general principles: The reality of the situation is that people across the globe, including most Americans, are waking up to the fact that they have been sold a bill of goods on cannabis. Many people want “something” after a long day at work, to soothe sore muscles and frayed nerves, and now that cannabis is increasingly a legal, available option, I predict that many will start choosing cannabis over alcohol. While not harm free, it is healthier, safer, less fattening (provided you don’t eat your way through the kitchen nightly after consuming), and, for many, more interesting and more productive. It is more conducive, in my opinion, to genuinely connecting to other people, which is particularly important given how isolated and lonely a great number of people are feeling these days.
A Cannabis Specialist Untangles the Truth about Marijuana
Peter Grinspoon, M.D. is a primary care physician and cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is a certified Health and Wellness Coach as well as a board member of the advocacy group Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, and has been providing medical cannabis care for patients for two decades. In this lively, witty, and deeply personal book, Grinspoon takes readers on a fascinating tour of everything you ever wanted to know about the benefits of cannabis—especially what it can do to ameliorate suffering and enhance human potential—while always remaining grounded in the scientific evidence. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”– Jay Wexler, professor of law specializing in marijuana law, Boston University COLLAPSE OF SUSTAINED READING: In a study of 26,000 Americans between 2004 and 2017 the proportion of men reading for pleasure had fallen by 40% and in women it was down to 29%. By 2017 the average American spent 17 minutes a day reading books and 5.4 hours on their phone. Some 57% of Americans now do not read a single book in a typical year. In experiments where two groups are given the information in a printed book and the same information on screen, when asked questions about what they had just read, people remembered more information in written form. As we lose our capacity for deep reading that comes from books, we are then becoming less likely to read books. It’s like when you gain weight, it gets harder and harder to exercise when you don't do it and the same could be true of our ability to read long texts any more with sustained attention. AX Nguyen, AY WU, “Association between cannabis and the eyelids: a comprehensive review,” Clin Exp Ophthalmol, 48, 230 (2020). PMID: 31747112. Use legalization as an opportunity to redress as many harms of the War on Cannabis as possible. Let nonviolent cannabis prisoners out, expunge all records for nonviolent cannabis offenses, and find a way to fund profits from the nascent industry to the families and communities that have been harmed heal their traumas and regain financial stability.
Opinion on cannabis, particularly medical cannabis, is broadly positive. Ninety-four percent of Americans are in favor of legal access to medical marijuana. Can you name any other issue about which 94 percent of Americans agree? Can you even imagine it? I’m not sure that 94 percent of Americans believe the earth is round, that we actually landed on the moon, or that the sky is blue.It is time to support balanced research and to forgo all the agendas and superstitions of the past. For the Cannatopians, no more reflexive belief in cannabis as a miracle cure, such as for cancer (until it is actually proven). For the Reefer Pessimists, no more adding derogatory air quotes when you mention the words “medical marijuana.”
Seeing Through the Smoke provides refreshing insights into the biases that have challenged cannabis research to date. Grinspoon presents both sides of the divisive issues polarizing society today, allowing the reader to reconsider what is and isn’t true about cannabis. Honest, personal, poignant, comprehensive, and totally current, this book emphatically reminds us that the absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence of effectiveness for this extremely therapeutic botanical.”– Donald I. Abrams, MD, professor emeritus of medicine, University of California San Francisco Dr. Grinspoon is a widely recognized expert on cannabis science and drug policy. He regularly appears as an expert on national television and radio programs, including NPR’s All Things Considered, NBC Nightly News, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, Fox and Friends and Fox News. He is quoted frequently in the national media, in such venues as People, the New York Times, New York Magazine, the Washington Post, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and the Boston Globe. He is a TEDX speaker. As we legalize, we need to regulate in a sensible way. Legal cannabis doesn’t have to be a commercialized free-for-all, devoid of any limits or restrictions. There are practical, painless ways to simultaneously increase knowledge, permit usage, and reduce harm, such as: Peter Grinspoon is uniquely qualified to dispense verifiable knowledge about cannabis use and misuse as both prescriber of therapeutic cannabis to qualified medical patients and a councilor to cannabis misusers.Steeped in a deep pharmacological understanding of cannabis and aided by up-to-date analysis of scientific cannabis-related studies, Seeing through the Smoke amplifies a voice trusted by both sides of the ongoing debate about functional and responsible cannabis policies post-prohibition.” -Allen St. Pierre, former Executive Director of NORML Dr. Peter Grinspoon breaks down the myths and misconceptions surrounding cannabis as only a true expert can. Drawing on his years of experience as a clinician and instructor, Dr. Grinspoon offers an informed and compassionate look at the science and medicine. With a wealth of evidence-based information, he provides an honest and authoritative guide to understanding the plant and its uses, making this book essential reading for anyone interested in the most up-to-date and reliable information about cannabis.” —Shaleen Title, Founder and Director, Parabola Center for Law and PolicySeeing Through the Smoke provides refreshing insights into the biases that have challenged cannabis research to date. Grinspoon presents both sides of the divisive issues polarizing society today, allowing the reader to reconsider what is and isn’t true about cannabis. Honest, personal, poignant, comprehensive, and totally current, this book emphatically reminds us that the absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence of effectiveness for this extremely therapeutic botanical.”– Donald I. Abrams, MD , professor emeritus of medicine, University of California San Francisco
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