The legalization of cannabis is one element of an evolving and multidimensional discourse in the United States. That discourse includes disputes about federal law versus state and individual rights; public misunderstandings about the basic tenets of clinical science, such as concepts of causality and how we weigh evidence about treatment effectiveness; and, in an increasingly consumer-driven health care climate, even the role of physicians in recommending treatments for symptoms and diseases. Whether we like it or not, we who work in cancer find ourselves engaged in the practical consequences of these debates. What is a drug? What does it mean for health care professionals to try to discuss the science of the treatment efficacy of substances, such as most “medical marijuana,” that have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)? How do we find ourselves here?
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