Marijuana: still a "signal of misunderstanding"

This article reviews four decades of my professional experience with marijuana, including: 1) my treatment of marijuana-dependent patients, particularly adolescents; 2) my research on the general effects and medical uses of the government-grown marijuana and of oral tetrahydrocannabinol (Marinol); and 3) my social policy experiences, both nationally and internationally, as a member of the National Commission on Marijuana Drug Abuse. The article emphasizes the mythology, morality, and misunderstanding that clouds so much of the thinking about marijuana in general and its medical utility in particular.