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posted by martyb on Sunday January 15 2017, @12:38PM   Printer-friendly
from the tokin'-effort dept.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a 337-page report about the health effects of cannabis. Unfortunately, the Schedule I status of cannabis makes good studies hard to come by, so we know almost nothing truly definitive:

A report [DOI: 10.17226/24625] published Thursday by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine analyzed more than 10,000 studies to see what could conclusively be said about the health effects of all this marijuana. And despite the drug's increasing popularity — a recent survey suggests about 22 million American adults have used the drug in the last month — conclusive evidence about its positive and negative medical effects is hard to come by, the researchers say.

According to the report, that's at least partly because the federal drug enforcement agency's designation of the drug as a Schedule I substance — having "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse" — entails so many restrictions that it has been difficult for researchers to do rigorous research on marijuana. We just need "far more information," Dr. Marie McCormick, chair of the NAS committee and professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, tells Shots.

The report found evidence that cannabis is effective for treating chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Smoking it doesn't appear to increase the risk of cancers associated with tobacco use, but might increase cardiovascular risk. Frequent cannabis smoking is associated with some respiratory problems.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 16 2017, @12:28AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 16 2017, @12:28AM (#454205)

    The paranoia is real and I got it from the first times. Still not a big fan, but set and setting can make it enjoyable. I need a "purpose' be it listening to music or watching TV shows, not sitting around talking face to face under a bare light bulb for hours and hours, a.k.a. most student dives.