Cannabis will soon be legal in Maryland, but is it harmless?

A couple of weeks ago, during her monthly appearance on our show for the Midday Healthwatch, Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore City Health Commissioner, discussed an essay she published in the Washington Post about the health effects of cannabis. The essay garnered more than 5,000 responses in the Post, and when we talked about it here on Midday, lots of listeners called and e-mailed us to weigh-in as well. In less than two weeks, Maryland is set to join nearly 40 other states allowing the recreational use of marijuana. What will the public health impacts be?Research has established medical benefits for cancer patients, and people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. But experts also point to cannabis as a factor in schizophrenia, respiratory problems, and low birth weight. My guests are Dr. Leigh Vinocur and Dr. David Jernigan. Dr. Leigh Vinocur is a board certified emergency physician, who holds a master’s degree in cannabis science and therapeutics from a relatively new program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Dr. David Jernigan is a Professor of Health Law, Policy & Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. He’s also an adjunct professor in the Health, Behavior and Society department at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has researched the issue of alcohol advertising, marketing, and promotion, and he’s a co-author of Cannabis: Moving Forward, Protecting Health. (Photo by gjbmiller, via Canva)Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.