Cannabis: Benefits vs. Harm - What's the Evidence? with Dr. Christopher Labos

<p>A rebuttal, of sorts, to episode 134 of The Body of Evidence, &quot;Medical Cannabis: Where Are We?&quot;.</p><p>Dr. Labos is a cardiologist with a degree in epidemiology. He writes for the Montreal Gazette, makes regular appearances on CBC radio and TV, and is host of The Body of Evidence podcast, where he takes a skeptical eye at health claims and looks at the body of evidence on a varietyof health topics. </p><p>He is a Course Lecturer in the Department of Epidemiology,Biostatistics and Occupational Health. He is also the author of the book: Does Coffee Cause Cancer and Eight More Myths About the Food We Eat. </p><p>© 2026 Dedham TV. Unauthorized duplication, for any reason, without permission, is prohibited. A video version of this video is available at <a href="https://youtu.be/H2KuLpC_W48" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://youtu.be/H2KuLpC_W48</a> or at briankerby.com</p><p><br></p><p>Body of Evidence medical cannabis episode<br><a href="https://bodyofevidence.ca/134-medical-cannabis-where-are-we" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://bodyofevidence.ca/134-medical-cannabis-where-are-we</a></p><p> Dr. Labos’ article on cannabis and driving: <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-the-risks-of-mixing-driving-and-cannabis" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-the-risks-of-mixing-driving-and-cannabis</a></p><p>Selected sources:</p><p>Di Ciano, P., Rajji, T. K., Hong, L. E., Zhao, S. Y. F., Byrne, P., Elzohairy, Y., Brubacher, J. R., McGrath, M. J., Brands, B., Chen, S., Wang, W., Hasan, O. S. M., Wickens, C. M., Kaduri, P., &amp; Foll, B. L. (2024). Cannabis and Driving in Older Adults. JAMA, 7(1), e2352233. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.52233</p><p>Han, B. H., Brennan, J. J., Orozco, M. A., Moore, A. A., &amp; Castillo, E. M. (2023). Trends in Emergency Department Visits Associated With Cannabis Use Among Older Adults in California, 2005–2019. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 71(4), 1267–1274. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.18180</p><p>Hughes, A. R., Grusing, S., Lin, A., Hendrickson, R. G., Sheridan, D. C., Marshall, R., &amp; Horowitz, B. Z. (2022). Trends in intentional abuse and misuse ingestions in school-aged children and adolescents reported to US poison centers from 2000-2020. Clinical Toxicology, 61(1), 64–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2022.2120818</p><p>Jeffers, A. M., Glantz, S., Byers, A. L., &amp; Keyhani, S. (2024). Association of cannabis use with cardiovascular outcomes among US adults. Journal of the American Heart Association, 13(5), e030178. https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.123.030178</p><p>Jefsen, O. H., Erlangsen, A., Nordentoft, M., &amp; Hjorthøj, C. (2023). Cannabis use disorder and subsequent risk of psychotic and nonpsychotic unipolar depression and bipolar disorder. JAMA Psychiatry, 80(8), 803. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.1256</p><p>Kamel, I., Mahmoud, A. K., Twayana, A. R., Younes, A. M., Horn, B., &amp; Dietzius, H. (2025). Myocardial Infarction and Cardiovascular Risks Associated With Cannabis Use: A Multicenter Retrospective Study. JACC Advances, 101698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.101698</p><p>Myran, D. T., Gaudreault, A., Pugliese, M., Dujovny, M., &amp; Tanuseputro, P. (2023). Cannabis-Involved traffic injury emergency department visits after cannabis legalization and commercialization. JAMA, 6(9), e2331551. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.31551Pierce, A. (2023, January 9). </p><p>Cannabis-Related Emergency Department Visits Among Older Adults on the Rise. https://health.ucsd.edu/news/press-releases/2023-01-09-cannabis-related-emergency-department-visits-among-older-adults-on-the-rise/</p><p>Pravosud, V. (2025). Cannabis use among older adults. JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.10173Stall, N. M., Shi, S., Malikov, K., Wang, S., Rochon, P. A., Hillmer, M. P., &amp; Zipurs