Dr. Peter Grinspoon

Is Cannabis Addictive? How addictive?

Big topic: is #cannabis addictive? How addictive? What are we doing wrong in the field of #addiction medicine. Check out my blog.
drpetergrinspoon.substack.com/p/is-cannabi...

When Drug Use Crosses the Line How to tell and how to help

Check out my latest blog. How do you know when your drug use is addictive or if it is reasonable? How does it affect your family? What are the guardrails? How do you distinguish "safe" drug use from #addiction?
drpetergrinspoon.substack.com/p/recreation...

Lifetime Cannabis Use Is Associated with Brain Volume and Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Adults - PubMed Results highlight that cannabis may influence brain health differently across the lifespan, potentially offering protective effects in older age while posing risks earlier in development. Protective effects may result from endocannabinoid-mediated modulation of inflammation, immune function, and neu …

'Results highlight that #cannabis may influence brain health differently across the lifespan, potentially offering protective effects in older age while posing risks earlier in development.'
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41379083/

When Drug Use Crosses the Line How to tell and how to help

Check out my latest blog. How do you know when your drug use is addictive or if it is reasonable? How does it affect your family? What are the guardrails? How do you distinguish "safe" drug use from #addiction?
drpetergrinspoon.substack.com/p/recreation...

Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation

Among horrible things Trump doing (trying to destroy elections & our democracy, torturing immigrants, ICE shoot innocent protestors, destroying alliances, ballooning our debt), this is diaster: to make his oil/coal friends rich, he's destroying our climate
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/c...

Healthcare utilization and developmental delay among infants exposed to cannabis in utero We examined the association between in utero cannabis exposure and well child care (WCC) attendance, emergency department (ED) visits, and developmental delay (DD) diagnosis during the first two years...

I counsel against using #cannabis during pregnancy (unless under a few, extreme conditions...), but the data on harms is very mixed. This study shows no measurable harms with respect to ED visits, or developmental delay.
www.academicpedsjnl.net/article/S187...

Is Cannabis Addictive? How addictive?

Big topic: is #cannabis addictive? How addictive? What are we doing wrong in the field of #addiction medicine. Check out my blog.
drpetergrinspoon.substack.com/p/is-cannabi...

YouTube video by Peter Grinspoon Cannabis EXPERT Shares Surprising Benefits for Seniors

Check out one of my most popular video on the myriad uses of #cannabis in seniors
(I have book coming out on this topic on 5/5/26)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGJy...

Big Cannabis just funneled millions to Trump Undermining the social justice movement that legalized cannabis

New blog:
In what universe does it make sense for Big Cannabis to bankroll Trump? When corporate cannabis aligns with anti-democratic power, it betrays the patients and activists who fought for legalization. We need legalization without corruption.

drpetergrinspoon.substack.com/p/big-cannab...

The Exploration of Cannabis Beverage Substitution for Alcohol: A Novel Harm Reduction Strategy Alcohol consumption is associated with nearly 200 health conditions. As cannabis-infused beverages emerge in the legal market, their potential as a substitute for alcohol is of growing interest. Th...

'Findings suggest cannabis beverages may support alcohol substitution and reduce alcohol-related harms, offering a promising alternative for individuals seeking to lower alcohol intake.'
#cannabis #harmreduction
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Opinion | Trump Could Interfere With the Midterm Elections. You Can Help Defend Them.

Important article about upcoming elections:
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/o...

The Exploration of Cannabis Beverage Substitution for Alcohol: A Novel Harm Reduction Strategy Alcohol consumption is associated with nearly 200 health conditions. As cannabis-infused beverages emerge in the legal market, their potential as a substitute for alcohol is of growing interest. Th...

Another study suggesting that people are substituting #cannabis for #alcohol, which is a critical way to accomplish harm reduction.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Chicago’s United Center to offer cannabis drinks – could other arenas follow? Drinks to be sold at concerts under federal legislation but attenders may have to wait to imbibe at sporting events

Honored to be included in this interesting Guardian article -- the world is changing! (for the better); though: use #cannabis with caution (and not with alcohol...)

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Big Cannabis just funneled millions to Trump Undermining the social justice movement that legalized cannabis

New blog:
In what universe does it make sense for Big Cannabis to bankroll Trump? When corporate cannabis aligns with anti-democratic power, it betrays the patients and activists who fought for legalization. We need legalization without corruption.

drpetergrinspoon.substack.com/p/big-cannab...

Man shot and killed by federal officers in Minnesota was an ICU nurse, his parents say The man who was shot and killed by a federal officer during an immigration operation has been identified as 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse.

Off topic for me -- but we all need to push back against ICE, Trump's version of the Gestapo, which is harming (and now murdering) innocent civilians/peaceful protesters; most of the immigrants peaceful too - Trump is destroying fabic of our democracy.
www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...

High January Is the New Dry January

As long as people are careful not to consume too much THC, and don't plan on driving, #cannabis drinks are significantly safer than alcohol (which was associated with 178,000 deaths last year); this is harm reduction.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/b...

The nature of today’s unregulated drug supply has changed dramatically. In this video, I explain the risks of pressed pills and fentanyl contamination, and discuss what this means for harm reduction and drug policy.

Watch the full video here: lnkd.in/eXQ6cNbR

Excited to speak on Feb. 9th. at 12:30, with wonderful panel, at The Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School on #cannabis policy! (and I'm at MIT addiction bootcamp today).

petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/events/detai...

US drug policy does not align with experts’ rankings of drug harms: a multi-criteria decision analysis - Harm Reduction Journal Background United States drug policy is primarily based on the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 and largely contradicts scientific evidence about how to mitigate drugs’ harms. Expert consensus on dru...

Shocking!
'US drug policy does not align with experts’ rankings of drug harms: a multi-criteria decision analysis'

#cannabis was in the middle and mushrooms were the least dangerous...has no relationship to how these substances are scheduled in CSA.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Vaporized cannabis versus placebo for acute migraine: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial - PubMed Acute migraine treatment with 6% THC + 11% CBD was superior to placebo at 2-h post-treatment with sustained benefits at 24 and 48 h.

'Acute migraine treatment with 6% THC + 11% CBD was superior to placebo at 2-h post-treatment with sustained benefits at 24 and 48 h.'
(ramdomized, double-blind, placebo controlled)
#cannabis #migraine
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41469488/

The nature of today’s unregulated drug supply has changed dramatically. In this video, I explain the risks of pressed pills and fentanyl contamination, and discuss what this means for harm reduction and drug policy.

Watch the full video here: lnkd.in/eXQ6cNbR

YouTube video by Peter Grinspoon A Brother's Battle with Leukemia and What Cannabis Did

Before I was a doctor, I was a kid watching my older brother Danny endure chemo for leukemia. Cannabis was the only thing that stopped the nausea & vomiting before he died at 16. It was the '70s, and using it meant breaking the law. Watch the full video at youtu.be/-MWHVhlIHwk

Older Adults’ Perspectives on and Experiences with Cannabis Use: Results From the 2024 National Poll on Healthy Aging Cannabis use is increasing among older adults, concurrent with regulations allowing medical and/or recreational consumption, increases in the THC potency of cannabis products, and declining public perceptions of cannabis-related risks. Using a ...

Interesting results:
'Older Adults’ Perspectives on and Experiences with Cannabis Use: Results From the 2024 National Poll on Healthy Aging'
(this is what my upcoming book is about, #cannabis use in seniors, how to use it safely...)
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Inside Minnesota Hospitals, ICE Agents Unnerve Staff

This is so far beyond acceptable, and needs to stop;
ICE is a fascist army that needs to be dismantled.

'agents have broken hospital protocol, refused to provide documentation and, in some cases, gotten into shouting matches with doctors and nurses.'
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/u...

The world has never been so dangerous for drug users Pressed Pills and Contaminated Cocaine

Please check out my latest blog, informed from my recent work in our low-threshold #addiction clinic at MGH.
'The world has never been so dangerous for drug users -
Pressed Pills and Contaminated Cocaine'
(our drug supply is poisoned with #fentanyl etc.)
drpetergrinspoon.substack.com/p/the-world-...

A Powerful New Drug Is Creating a ‘Withdrawal Crisis’ in Philadelphia

As if the fentanyl supply wasn't contaminated enough with xylazine, this new cantaminant, medetomadine causes not so much overdoses but life-threatening withdrawal.
(we need to decriminalize and regulate our drug supply...
#addiction
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/15/h...

A Perspective on Psychedelics as Treatments for Addictions: Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs: Vol 85, No 5 Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 85(5), 583–588 (2024). http://dx.doi.org/10.15288/jsad.23-00032 -->

good article:
'A Perspective on Psychedelics as Treatments for Addictions'
#psychedelics
www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288...

The world has never been so dangerous for drug users Pressed Pills and Contaminated Cocaine

Please check out my latest blog, informed from my recent work in our low-threshold #addiction clinic at MGH.
'The world has never been so dangerous for drug users -
Pressed Pills and Contaminated Cocaine'
(our drug supply is poisoned with #fentanyl etc.)
drpetergrinspoon.substack.com/p/the-world-...

What I Learned in 2025 (So You Don’t Have to) From cannabis policy to koalas in Australia—lessons worth carrying into 2026

HNY!!!! What a zany, wonderful year! Check out my year in review.
#cannabis #psychedelics #addiction
drpetergrinspoon.substack.com/p/what-i-lea...

Federal Health Official Says Teens Are Finding It Harder To Access Marijuana Even As Legalization Spreads, Contrary To Opponents' Fears - Marijuana Moment Youth marijuana use is stable amid the state legalization movement, despite prohibitionist claims to the contrary. Beyond that, more students are actually saying it’s harder to access cannabis and tha...

Good news: 'Federal Health Official Says Teens Are Finding It Harder To Access Marijuana Even As Legalization Spreads, Contrary To Opponents’ Fears'
(double standard with #cannabis: if teen rates were rising, this would be front page news...)

www.marijuanamoment.net/federal-heal...