Last year, my husband and I took a 16-day road trip from Kentucky through Massachusetts to Maine. On our first morning in Boston, we exited the Park Street Station en route to Boston Common but instead of being greeted by the aroma of molasses, we were hit full-on with a pungent repulsive odor. "That's skunk weed," my husband chuckled as we stepped right into the middle of The Boston Freedom Rally, a celebration of all things cannabis.
As we boarded a hop-on-hop-off bus, we learned that this was the one week of the year that the city skips testing tour bus drivers for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), "because we all test positive," the driver quipped. As our open-air bus circled the Common, a crowd of pot enthusiasts displayed signs in support of relaxed regulation for public consumption.
The 34-year-old Boston Freedom Rally is a sign that US culture has transformed forever. Mary Jane is no friend of emergency physicians nor of staff on hospital wards and offices. Healthcare workers should brace for the true impact of THC as its adoption by all ages rises.
Toking Boomers and Millennials
Researchers at University of California, San Diego looked at cannabis-related emergency department visits from all acute-care hospitals in the state from 2005 to 2019 and found an 1808% increase
Botulinum Toxin
Botulinum Toxin in Pain Management
Ethylene Glycol Toxicity
COMMENTARY
Why Legal Pot Makes This Physician Sick
Melissa Walton-Shirley, MD
DisclosuresOctober 19, 2023
Last year, my husband and I took a 16-day road trip from Kentucky through Massachusetts to Maine. On our first morning in Boston, we exited the Park Street Station en route to Boston Common but instead of being greeted by the aroma of molasses, we were hit full-on with a pungent repulsive odor. "That's skunk weed," my husband chuckled as we stepped right into the middle of The Boston Freedom Rally, a celebration of all things cannabis.
As we boarded a hop-on-hop-off bus, we learned that this was the one week of the year that the city skips testing tour bus drivers for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), "because we all test positive," the driver quipped. As our open-air bus circled the Common, a crowd of pot enthusiasts displayed signs in support of relaxed regulation for public consumption.
The 34-year-old Boston Freedom Rally is a sign that US culture has transformed forever. Mary Jane is no friend of emergency physicians nor of staff on hospital wards and offices. Healthcare workers should brace for the true impact of THC as its adoption by all ages rises.
Toking Boomers and Millennials
Researchers at University of California, San Diego looked at cannabis-related emergency department visits from all acute-care hospitals in the state from 2005 to 2019 and found an 1808% increase
Credits:
Lead image: Walter Arce/Dreamstime
© 2023 WebMD, LLC
Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Why Legal Pot Makes This Physician Sick - Medscape - Oct 19, 2023.
Tables
Authors and Disclosures
Authors and Disclosures
Author
Melissa Walton-Shirley, MD
Clinical Cardiologist, Nashville, Tennessee
Disclosure: Melissa Walton-Shirley, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.