As both a regulated medicine and something people use for wellness and even recreation, the information gaps that exist for cannabis users are unprecedented.
“Any other medication and you’re lawfully entitled to speak to a pharmacist,” explains Dr. Cody Peterson, a clinical pharmacist and medical cannabis professional. “The law states, you must be ensured the opportunity to speak with someone like me.”
With cannabis, Dr. Peterson, continues, your best source of education is often a budtender with nothing more than a high school education.
“I’m here to tell you that there is more going on and there is more to the story of consuming cannabis than just going to someone and saying, ‘I want an indica’ and ‘Here, smoke it.’”
In this episode with Dr. Peterson, we discuss common mistakes people make when they use cannabis, and why new cannabis technologies and products can get a little too far ahead of the science sometimes.
Dr. Peterson also explains why labeling something isolated in a lab as “plant-based” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s always a good thing.
“We’re creating our own issues — nature in my experience has done it better than we have, and so that’s why I think cannabis botanical needs to be preserved as well,” Dr. Peterson says.
“When you start messing around with isolating molecules from a plant, it seems to be when we see more side effects.”
Produced by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. The Cannabis Enigma is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Music by Desca.
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