Cannabis Policy Paper Published in Psychiatry Online

The power to declare something to be a legitimate medicine comes with the responsibility to provide information that people need to use the medicine wisely.

That is the opinion expressed by Erik Messamore, M.D., Ph.D., and Sara Dugan, Pharm.D., co-authors of an article titled “Informed Consent: A Policy Prescription for Communicating Benefit and Risk in State Medical Marijuana Programs” published by Psychiatry Online.

In the case of cannabis, not enough is being done, say the Northeast Ohio Medical University colleagues, both of whom are associate professors in the Department of Psychiatry. They recommend that “states that declare marijuana to be a medicine should inform the public about the quality of medical evidence behind each approved use and publicize all scientifically credible risks.”

Lisa Dixon, M.D., M.P.H. the editor of Psychiatry Online, also invited Dr. Messamore to be a guest on an upcoming segment of the journal’s podcast.