Hey College Parents, Today’s Weed is Not Your ’80s Pot

“They’re just smoking a little pot, right?”

Listen up, parents, because today’s “WEED” is not your “POT”.

Back in the late 70’s and 80’s, smoking pot usually meant passing a joint or bong around a circle of friends with half-closed eyes and mellow vibes (thanks, Cheech&Chong). The nicknames were endless- pot, dope, grass, marijuana, MJ, Mary Jane, reefers, roaches, etc, and the concentration of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive part) ranged from 2-5%. With these low THC concentrations, there was no recognized withdrawal syndrome and therefore pot was not considered addictive.

Today’s “weed” in the United States- legal or not- routinely … Read more

It’s 420…Blaze It or Not? One Doctor’s Biased Opinion

Yes, it’s April 20th, but “420” also means Pot, MaryJane, MJ, Weed, cannabis…whatever you choose to call marijuana. Legend has it that the nickname “420” originated in my birthplace, San Rafael, CA, from way back in the early 1970s, when a group of high school students used to meet at 4:20pm after classes to either smoke weed or search for it. Regardless, today is often celebrated in the cannabis-partaking world as Weed Day, so let’s talk about pot.

As a family physician who has also worked in urgent care on a large college campus, I recognize my bias … Read more