Weed Science: Cannabis Controversies and Challenges

by Godfrey Pearlson

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT MARIJUANA AND HOW DO WE KNOW IT? Marijuana is the most frequently consumed illicit drug worldwide, with over 158.8 million users, according to the UN. Responding to public pressure, the US federal government is likely to legalize recreational marijuana within the next few years. With increasing numbers of people using cannabis both medically and recreationally there are many looming questions that only science can answer. These include:

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

326 pages, Paperback

Published July 28, 2020

About the author

Godfrey Pearlson, award-winning physician and researcher, completed his
medical degree at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom and a graduate
philosophy degree at Columbia University in NYC. He trained in psychiatry
and was subsequently a psychiatry professor at Johns Hopkins University. He
is currently a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Yale University and
directs a brain research center at the Institute of Living in Connecticut. He has
published over 700 peer-reviewed scientific articles and his marijuana research
is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Highway
and Traffic Safety Administration. Dr. Pearlson is an expert in the fields of marijuana
and of psychosis. He believes that any political platforms regarding cannabis
should be based on scientific facts rather than emotion

Reviews

[Franchesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a longtime regular user of and advocate for both recreational and medicinal cannabis flower, and more recent occasional consumer of THC edibles, I was interested to learn more about what current science has to say.

From clinical trials and research on the plant itself (and how these can be swayed my individual biases with conflicting results coming from the same findings), to how our brains work to process THC, CBD and hundreds of other chemical compounds (many of which have yet to be studied at all), how they absorb into our bodies and how long they stick around...to advertising, marketing, drug abuse education, politics and more. There is a lot of interesting and useful information in this book.

I was particularly interested, having a recent bone fracture requiring surgery and metal hardware, in mention of a recent study in Israel which has "begun investigating cannabinoids in bone repair following fractures." on page 76. I am interested to learn what was discovered during this study and how this research is progressing further. I personally have blown away the expectations of all the health professionals working with me since my fracture in the first week of June, doing squats and advanced yoga poses by the end of July. In addition to medical marijuana I also made sure to keep moving, take a vitamin supplement daily, and eat calcium rich foods. I'm currently back to 90%+ and back to work, more than 2 months earlier than predicted! I give cannabis a huge amount of credit here...while in the hospital I was crying for opioid pain medications every 4 hours, and didn't use them at all after returning home where I was able to smoke cannabis and consume edibles. The pain relief alone is huge and when the healing benefits are added, well, who could ask for a more universally useful and healing, wonderful natural resource?

Being a longtime (daily) cannabis user I have both personally experienced and witnessed firsthand many of the examples given about short-term psychosis and psychotic episodes. I agree there should be age restrictions, limited promotional advertising targeted to adults only, and factual, reliable marijuana education widely available in areas where recreational cannabis is legal. Dosing is a key area to be addressed, with different varieties (and sometimes even a different bud off the same plant, or different areas in the same bud) having different results from person to person or even the same person from session to session. Evidence shows that cannabis has been used for thousands of years for its various medicinal qualities. Many more clinical trials and studies are currently needed in this ever changing and evolving world of cannabis, with many hurdles along the way. I couldn't agree more with the conclusions in the summary.

An important book today for keeping up-to-date and informed about this controversial and complicated topic.

Thank you so much to Godfrey Pearlson and Goodreads giveaways for the signed copy!

[Shani · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who grew up with the stigma of "weed is bad", I found this book to be incredibly fascinating! I had several family members who were avid enthusiasts of it in various ways. I've personally found no fault in it for recreation or medicinal purposes and have always been fascinated about information regarding it.

That's why I enjoyed this book so much. The author takes the time to not only explain the science behind his experiments but also touch on the misconceptions of the substance. I have to say, the depth of the information is truly refreshing as its mixed in with humor. I felt like I was being taught information on a relaxed level without being given dry facts. This is a fascinating book to really take into consideration if you're wanting to learn more about cannabis in general, but what it's all about as well.

[Troie Dixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

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