In his new book, physician and cannabis expert Peter Grinspoon, M.D., separates fact from fiction, science from speculation, and research from reefer madness to offer a comprehensive and indispensable guide on using marijuana safely.
Cannabis has gone mainstream. One in seven Americans uses some sort of CBD product. Ninety-four percent of Americans support legalization of medical marijuana, and 69 percent want total legalization. Consumers can now openly buy everything from their favorite strain of Sativa to CBD pillows to THC bath bombs. Still, that doesn’t mean that myths and misconceptions don’t persist. Whether it’s the hard-dying, fear-mongering lies spun by the War on Drugs and other prohibition campaigns or the utopian daydreams of long-time stoners and evangelists, we’re still confused about the leaf that we have been using for at least five-thousand years. Enter Peter Grinspoon, a physician, cannabis expert, and son of the late Lester Grinspoon, a psychiatrist and academic who risked a Harvard career to challenge laws and beliefs about marijuana long before it was fashionable. In his new book, SEEING THROUGH THE SMOKE: A CANNABIS SPECIALIST UNTANGLES THE TRUTH ABOUT MARIJUANA (Prometheus Books, April 20, 2023, Hardcover), Grinspoon draws from a wealth of scientific research, clinical practice, and personal experience to demystify marijuana and give users no-nonsense guidance on the risks and benefits of the drug that has been called everything from the devil’s lettuce to the key to world peace.
Peter Grinspoon, M.D., is available for interview. He can also provide excerpts and original articles. Here is just some of what he can discuss:
Honest answers to (some) scary questions. Does marijuana cause psychosis? Is legalization leading to more traffic accidents, and is it safe to drive while high? Will toking make me lazy or lower my IQ? Is weed addictive? Is pot safe during pregnancy and when breastfeeding? Does cannabis help or worsen anxiety/depression/chronic pain/PTSD/insomnia/autism? How can I tell which cannabis strain is right for me? What if I’m taking other medications? How can I detect when I’m being lied to about a benefit or risk? Grinspoon answers all of these questions by drawing on the most up-to-date research and his vast clinical experience.
Spiked research led to bad policy, widespread misunderstanding and mistrust. As a doctor, Grinspoon values science. He also knows when it’s being spiked. Grinspoon shows how decades of cannabis research was conducted solely for the purpose of finding harm and how the government-grown product that was used for testing—what he calls the “moldy mush” strain—was unfit to yield quality data. The results were disastrous criminal policies, massive misunderstanding in both the scientific and lay communities, and an intensification of the failed War on Drugs. It also sewed distrust among the many young people who need quality information about cannabis and other drugs the most.
Reefer Pessimist or Cannatopian? Just say no. It’s no surprise that in the wake of a “war” on drugs we have sharp polarization. On one side are the Reefer Pessimists, who say that cannabis offers no benefits and on the other, the Cannatopians, who think it offers only benefits. Grinspoon looks to the data and says that the truth is to be found square in the middle, with some clear benefits and some undeniable risks. It’s time for science-based, honest, and accessible education to replace proselytizing.
Doobie no harm: Doctors still don’t understand cannabis. The problem starts in medical school were doctors-in-training learn little to nothing about cannabis and the endocannabinoid system, and are still taught politically motivated falsehoods. Grinspoon urges physicians educate themselves about cannabis and to understand why that they are taught so little and so poorly about it. He also calls for patients to “not let their doctors off the hook … Educate yourselves. Expect us to know this subject. Push back when we say things that aren’t true.” FUN FACT: Docs weren’t always allergic to cannabis. “Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century and right up until 1937, when cannabis became effectively prohibited in the United States by the Marihuana Tax Act, doctors routinely prescribed cannabis tinctures and considered it to be an effective, mainstream medicine,” writes Grinspoon.
Just say wait: The truth about marijuana and teens. Talking to teens about drugs is one of the hardest things parents can do (and it’s not easy for medical professionals either). The best data offer conflicting conclusions about the safety of marijuana on the teenage brain. “… Because there are so many unknowns, and since there does exist some evidence that marijuana may harm the brains of teens, I strongly recommend that teens avoid weed,” writes Grinspoon. He urges them to postpone experimenting with cannabis until their twenties when their brains are fully formed. No easy task. “’Just say wait’ conflicts with the natural teen tendency to explore, rebel, and take risks,” he notes. So, what are parents to do? Grinspoon offers essential tips for having honest, sensitive, and effective discussions with teens that encourage meaningful, two-way communication.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Grinspoon, M.D. is a primary care physician and cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is a certified Health and Wellness Coach as well as a board member of the advocacy group Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, and has been providing medical cannabis care for patients for two decades.
Dr. Grinspoon is a widely recognized expert on cannabis science and drug policy. He regularly appears as an expert on national television and radio programs, including The Daily Show, Good Morning America, NPR’s All Things Considered, NBC Nightly News, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, Fox and Friends and Fox News. He is quoted frequently in the national media, in such venues as People, the New York Times, New York Magazine, the Washington Post, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and the Boston Globe. He is a TEDX speaker.
Grinspoon’s Harvard Health articles have reached tens of millions of readers, have been widely referenced in the national media, and have been cited in congressional testimony. His writing has been published in The Nation, the Los Angeles Times and Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics.
He is the author of the groundbreaking memoir Free Refills: A Doctor Confronts His Addiction, was the expert witness in the successful citizens’ 2019 lawsuit against the Massachusetts “Vape Ban” and a special consultant on addiction issues to Jagged Little Pill’’s pre-Broadway run at the American Repertory Theater.
PRAISE
“As marijuana goes mainstream, many lingering doubts, contradictions, lies, and half-truths remain entrenched in the public debate. Peter Grinspoon has written a delightfully readable, informative, and timely book that shines a clear light through this maze of misunderstandings. Following in the family tradition – Grinspoon’s father Lester wrote two seminal books on marijuana – Seeing Through the Smoke can help heal the scars left by the government’s failed war on cannabis.”
—Rick Doblin, PhD, founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
“Peter Grinspoon is an ex-addict, marijuana enthusiast, and cannabis prescribing physician with a professional and moral obligation to know and tell the truth about cannabis’ relationship to driving, pregnancy, psychosis, autism, addiction, sleep, cancer, and much more. Never before have I read such an engaging and accessible review of the evidence.”
—Ethan Nadelmann, founder and former executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance
“An unflinching and utterly personal journey through the often-confusing cannabis landscape. Readers will delight in the historical as well as the scientific focus brought to life by Grinspoon, whose roots and professional experience provide a unique and fascinating perspective. Seeing through the Smoke has something for everyone – from the novice to the expert and everyone in between with an interest in cannabis.”
—Staci Gruber, MD, Director of Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
“When I was a child, I saw my great uncle, a physician, helping my cousin to clean and prepare his medicine – pot– so he could tolerate his chemotherapy treatments. Seeing through the Smoke clearly lays out the case for cannabis as a medicine while thoughtfully and calmly outlining its risks. Not only should everyone read this book, but they should share it with their loved ones, too.”
—Julie Holland, MD, author of Good Chemistry: The Science of Connection, From Soul to Psychedelics
“Peter Grinspoon is uniquely qualified to dispense verifiable knowledge about cannabis use and misuse as both prescriber of therapeutic cannabis to qualified medical patients and a councilor to cannabis misusers. Steeped in a deep pharmacological understanding of cannabis and aided by up-to-date analysis of scientific cannabis-related studies, Seeing through the Smoke amplifies a voice trusted by both sides of the ongoing debate about functional and responsible cannabis policies post-prohibition.”
—Allen St. Pierre, former Executive Director of NORML
“Seeing Through the Smoke provides refreshing insights into the biases that have challenged cannabis research to date. Grinspoon presents both sides of the divisive issues polarizing society today, allowing the reader to reconsider what is and isn’t true about cannabis. Honest, personal, poignant, comprehensive, and totally current, this book emphatically reminds us that the absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence of effectiveness for this extremely therapeutic botanical.”
—Donald I. Abrams, MD, professor emeritus of medicine, University of California San Francisco
“In this lively, witty, and deeply personal book, Grinspoon takes readers on a fascinating tour of everything you ever wanted to know about the benefits of cannabis—especially what it can do to ameliorate suffering and enhance human potential—while always remaining grounded in the scientific evidence. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
—Jay Wexler, professor of law specializing in marijuana law, Boston University
