As more states are considering legalizing medicinal and recreational marijuana, physicians are increasingly caught by surprise when patients ask about its safety and efficacy. Physicians cite a lack of knowledge about dosing guidelines and a clear understanding of the active ingredients in a recently published JAMA article, Medical Marijuana Is Legal in Most States, but Physicians Have Little Evidence to Guide Them (April 2017).
In another recently published article, integrative medical expert Joe Pizzorno, ND, says physicians have a clinical responsibility to help those who choose to use cannabis and cannabinoids in a responsible and safe manner. He says major concerns include toxicity from consumption methods as well as agricultural contaminants, heavy metals, solvents and microbes. In the attached article, What Should We Tell Our Patients About Marijuana (Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa)?, Pizzorno writes that toxicity concerns should be discussed with patients who chose to partake for both recreational and medicinal use.
In this article, you will learn:
- The most recent evidence-based research on cannabis and cannabinoids.
- Toxicity concerns about intake methods.
- Lack of regulation surrounding pesticide inputs, microbial overgrowth and extraction solvents.
- Issues regarding dependence and overuse.
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