Survey of oncologists finds knowledge gap on medical marijuana
As more states legalize medical marijuana, two key groups — researchers whose job is it to understand its benefits and drawbacks, and physicians charged with advising potential users — are struggling to catch up with policymakers.
Ilana Braun, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and chief of the division of adult psychosocial oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, led a survey of cancer physicians around the country, exploring their attitudes and actions on medical marijuana.
The survey was sent to 400 oncologists, with a 63 percent response rate. We asked Braun to outline her findings, which were published last month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Stories you may be interested in
Study on cannabis chemical as a treatment for pancreatic cancer may have ‘major impact,’ Harvard researcher says
Pancreatic cancer makes up just 3 percent of all cancers in America. But with a one-year survival rate of just 20 percent (and five-year survival rate of less than 8), it’s predicted to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2020. Headlines about the illness, as a result, tend to be discouraging. But this month scientists from Harvard University’s Dana-Farber…
Read More 
Alternative Mississippi medical marijuana program barely wins approval from Senate
JACKSON • Legislation that would create a new medical marijuana program in Mississippi if the voter-approved Initiative 65 is overturned in court cleared the state Senate on the second try last week early on Friday morning. Senate Bill 2765, the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act, failed by a single vote Thursday evening. But six hours later, after…
Read More 
Data Migration and Mapping Functions
Medical software does not have a good reputation for user experience and intuitive design. It can seem like a full-time job just learning how to use these software solutions. In fact, according to a study from Stanford Medicine, 74% of doctors responded that their EMR increased the number of hours they work every day and…
Read More 
Dr. Sanjay Gupta on medical marijuana: We are in an age of wisdom, but also an age of foolishness
When we released “Weed” in 2013, few people had ever heard of cannabidiol, or CBD. Now, two-thirds of Americans are familiar with the compound, and 1 in 7 have tried it. Most of the country, 93%, are in favor of medical marijuana and hemp-derived CBD itself, which has less than 0.3% THC, has been legalized in every state.It’s…
Read More 
Colorado looks to medical marijuana to ease opioid crisis
As the nation grapples with an opioid crisis that kills more than 130 people every day, Colorado thinks a solution may lie in a joint, a vape pen or a topical. On Friday, it becomes the third state in the nation after New York and Illinois to allow doctors to recommend medical marijuana for any condition…
Read More 
Three Key Voices in the Medical Marijuana Industry
As medical marijuana programs continue to expand throughout the United States, it is important to recognize some of the key voices throughout the industry that got us here. These individuals range from researches to physicians and even to patients who started their own advocacy group. Keep reading to learn about just three of the many…
Read More