Sean Hennessy, PharmD, PhD, speaks in depth on the Lancet podcast “United States of Health,” reviewing the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s widely anticipated report on the current evidence about marijuana. Listen to The Lancet’s podcast.

Douglas Wiebe, PhD, talks to Florida radio station WLRN about the study he and colleagues authored in the Journal of the American Medical Association, linking the rise of homicides in the state with the law.

More than 100 conclusions about the health effects of marijuana were evaluated by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. “Really, most of the therapeutic reasons people use medical marijuana aren’t substantiated beneficial effects of the plant,” commented Sean Hennessy, PharmD, PhD, a member of the committee that issued the NAS report.

A team of researchers, including lead author Douglas J. Wiebe, PhD, recently used everyday technology to learn about patients' activity after a concussion. The study's results, published in JAMA Pediatrics, may lead to some changes in recommendations for the recovery period after a concussion.

In The Philadelphia Inquirer, M. Kit Delgado, MD, MS, talked about what he sees as a huge potential to prevent the injuries that bring people to trauma centers, using a device that is "in people’s pockets every day” — a smartphone, linked to a personal Breathalyzer.

The assessment of pain along with its treatment is being questioned as some worry the current approaches to measuring pain on a scale of 0 to 10 have contributed to the nation's prescription drug epidemic. John Farrar, MD, PhD, and Jeanmarie Perrone, MD, share their perspectives on the best ways to assess and treat pain.

Reuters reported on a recent study showing that people with psoriasis may be at increased risk of calcium buildup in the arteries – an indicator of heart disease risk – comparable to that of people with diabetes. Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE, who was not involved in the research, was quoted.

Victims of violence are at relatively high risk of returning to the ER within two years of an initial visit, according to a recent Penn study. “Our findings highlight the potential for housing stability, behavioral-health and substance abuse programs to break cycles of violence," said senior author M. Kit Delgado, MD, MS.

Reuters reported on a recent study showing that while patients and families say they value comfort, having time with family, and death not being prolonged, these values often don’t align with the treatment they expect at the end of life. Scott D. Halpern, MD, PhD, was quoted.

CBS Boston reports on a clinical trial that leverages kidneys infected with hepatitis C, potentially making many new organs available.  “We’re giving [patients] the opportunity to have a transplant but we’re also treating them for a new infection they didn’t have. So that’s the trade-off,” commented Peter Reese, MD, MSCE.