Cannabis: Benefits vs. Harm - What's the Evidence? with Dr. Christopher Labos

A rebuttal, of sorts, to episode 134 of The Body of Evidence, "Medical Cannabis: Where Are We?".Dr. Labos is a cardiologist with a degree in epidemiology. He writes for the Montreal Gazette, makes regular appearances on CBC radio and TV, and is host of The Body of Evidence podcast, where he takes a skeptical eye at health claims and looks at the body of evidence on a varietyof health topics. He is a Course Lecturer in the Department of Epidemiology,Biostatistics and Occupational Health. He is also the author of the book: Does Coffee Cause Cancer and Eight More Myths About the Food We Eat. © 2026 Dedham TV. Unauthorized duplication, for any reason, without permission, is prohibited. A video version of this video is available at https://youtu.be/H2KuLpC_W48 or at briankerby.comBody of Evidence medical cannabis episodehttps://bodyofevidence.ca/134-medical-cannabis-where-are-we Dr. Labos’ article on cannabis and driving: https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-the-risks-of-mixing-driving-and-cannabisSelected sources:Di Ciano, P., Rajji, T. K., Hong, L. E., Zhao, S. Y. F., Byrne, P., Elzohairy, Y., Brubacher, J. R., McGrath, M. J., Brands, B., Chen, S., Wang, W., Hasan, O. S. M., Wickens, C. M., Kaduri, P., & Foll, B. L. (2024). Cannabis and Driving in Older Adults. JAMA, 7(1), e2352233. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.52233Han, B. H., Brennan, J. J., Orozco, M. A., Moore, A. A., & Castillo, E. M. (2023). Trends in Emergency Department Visits Associated With Cannabis Use Among Older Adults in California, 2005–2019. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 71(4), 1267–1274. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.18180Hughes, A. R., Grusing, S., Lin, A., Hendrickson, R. G., Sheridan, D. C., Marshall, R., & Horowitz, B. Z. (2022). Trends in intentional abuse and misuse ingestions in school-aged children and adolescents reported to US poison centers from 2000-2020. Clinical Toxicology, 61(1), 64–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2022.2120818Jeffers, A. M., Glantz, S., Byers, A. L., & Keyhani, S. (2024). Association of cannabis use with cardiovascular outcomes among US adults. Journal of the American Heart Association, 13(5), e030178. https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.123.030178Jefsen, O. H., Erlangsen, A., Nordentoft, M., & Hjorthøj, C. (2023). Cannabis use disorder and subsequent risk of psychotic and nonpsychotic unipolar depression and bipolar disorder. JAMA Psychiatry, 80(8), 803. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.1256Kamel, I., Mahmoud, A. K., Twayana, A. R., Younes, A. M., Horn, B., & Dietzius, H. (2025). Myocardial Infarction and Cardiovascular Risks Associated With Cannabis Use: A Multicenter Retrospective Study. JACC Advances, 101698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.101698Myran, D. T., Gaudreault, A., Pugliese, M., Dujovny, M., & Tanuseputro, P. (2023). Cannabis-Involved traffic injury emergency department visits after cannabis legalization and commercialization. JAMA, 6(9), e2331551. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.31551Pierce, A. (2023, January 9). Cannabis-Related Emergency Department Visits Among Older Adults on the Rise. https://health.ucsd.edu/news/press-releases/2023-01-09-cannabis-related-emergency-department-visits-among-older-adults-on-the-rise/Pravosud, V. (2025). Cannabis use among older adults. JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.10173Stall, N. M., Shi, S., Malikov, K., Wang, S., Rochon, P. A., Hillmer, M. P., & Zipursky, J. S. (2024). Edible cannabis legalization and cannabis poisonings in older adults. JAMA Internal Medicine, 184(7), 840. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.1331Toce, M. S., Monuteaux, M. C., Fishman, M. D., & Hudgins, J. D. (2025). Emergency department visits for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome among adolescents. JAMA Network Open, 8(7), e2520492. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.20492