Are you afraid to talk with your doctors about medical marijuana? Perhaps you think they’ll get the wrong idea about why you’re asking. Or maybe you’re worried they won’t have all of the facts. These fears may have some merit. Recent research points to a critical need to improve doctors’ understanding of medical marijuana, especially as laws are changing rapidly across the nation.
“There’s a huge need for patients and doctors to have open conversations about the pros and cons,” says Peter Grinspoon, MD, a primary care doctor and Harvard Medical School instructor who wrote, Seeing Through the Smoke: A Cannabis Specialist Untangles the Truth About Marijuana .
“Medical cannabis is much safer when doctors are updated and educated about it,” he says. “As a doctor, I like to have it as a tool in my toolbox.”
A recent study found that 69% of health professionals felt cannabis had medical uses but only 27% had ever recommended it to a patient. Most doctors reported having limited knowledge about marijuana, and almost 2 out of 3 didn’t know the legal status of cannabis in their state.
Part of the problem is the sheer amount of misinformation. Because it’s a Schedule I controlled substance, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration deems it unsafe with a high potential for abuse. More importantly, there is no recognized medical use, and until recently, Grinspoon says, most studies explored only its harms.
That could change, as the DEA this summer accepted almost 43,000 comments , most in favor of a White House proposal to make cannabis Schedule III, meaning it has some medical value. This could open the door to more balanced research . A hearing is scheduled for December. What Can Be Treated?
Ask 100 doctors, and you might get 100 answers.
Conditions that qualify for medical marijuana are many and vary greatly among states. Some of the more common ones include Alzheimer’s, autism spectrum disorder, cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV and AIDS, multiple sclerosis, nausea, Parkinson’s, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
But don’t run out to your local dispensary just yet. There isn’t a wealth of useful […]
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