from Hacker News

Show HN: Meadow Education: A beginner's guide to medical marijuana

by rickharrison on 7/27/15, 6:56 PM with 29 comments

  • by phren0logy on 7/27/15, 9:09 PM

    Speaking as an MD, the evidence for medical marijuana is, uh, pretty thin. In fact, most people would decry the mismatch of research to marketing if it were a traditionally prescribed drug.

    The barriers to meaningful research are coming down, but the research just isn't there yet. I suspect that therapeutic targets will emerge, but no amount of enthusiasm changes the fact that high-quality research hasn't happened yet. On the other hand, there are real problems associated with use, such as an increased risk of psychotic disorders, problems with concentration, etc.

    I consider it part of my job to look at the evidence and remain free of bias, because most marketing is put together by those who stand to make a lot of money off of what they are selling. If I apply those same criteria I use for other drugs I prescribe to marijuana, the outlook is not so good.

    Recreation marijuana, on the other hand, suffers from no such pretense. People use it to get high, and understand the risk. This, to me, seems like a much more honest system for the use most people want.

  • by oneeyedpigeon on 7/27/15, 8:41 PM

    That's a very professional looking site and just goes to show how far medical marijuana has come ... in the US. As a UK citizen, I'm full of jealousy and saddened by the fact that we're probably further away from legalisation than ever. This petition [1] shows that there is at least some demand for a change in the law, but it seems unlikely to occur anytime soon with the current government in power.

  • by Ivanov on 7/27/15, 10:39 PM

    So, err, when are we gonna get medical MDMA and medical LCD?

  • by beowulfey on 7/27/15, 10:24 PM

    Very nice site. Slight typo under the CBN explanation tab -- you have "oxides", which is a noun; I believe you'd want "oxidizes" there.

  • by eonw on 7/27/15, 11:39 PM

    Washington State just did way with medical marijuana. At a marijuana industry convention I recently attended it seemed more and more are starting to turn their back on the current medical claims and just hoping to get in as a capitalist in the recreational market. Given the industry is getting more and more attention on the federal level, might be a good move for other states to just go recreational and skip the medical farce.