Casual Conversations #36 Self Medication
With Christine Goedhart, PhD, Suraj Tandon, MD, and Jordan Tishler, MD, the panel discusses why many people self-medicate with cannabis and the risks involved.
They cite legalization and dispensary convenience, cost and insurance barriers, industry marketing, physician knowledge gaps, and stigma or fear of judgment as drivers of self-medication.
The clinicians warn that cannabis is safer than some drugs but not risk-free, noting tolerance, dependence, potential use disorder, CBD-related liver toxicity, cardiovascular concerns, drug–drug interactions (including with immunotherapies and anticoagulants), and dosing mistakes with edibles leading to overconsumption. They also describe harms from increasingly potent products and additives in “cannabis plus” products.
To reduce self-medication, they advocate better clinician and public education, nonjudgmental patient–provider relationships, stronger regulation, and shifting from broad authorizations to specific prescriptions with follow-up.
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