Shelli Newhart, PhD, and William Dolphin discuss their co-authored book, The Medicalization of Marijuana: Legitimacy, Stigma and the Patient Experience. The book takes a comprehensive look at how medical cannabis patients negotiate marijuana's incomplete integration into medicine. Their experiences reveal how social construction has shaped our relationship with this controversial plant. Drawing on interviews with midlife patients in Colorado, a state at the forefront of medical cannabis implementation, this book explores the practical decisions individuals confront about medical use, including whether cannabis will work for them; the risks of registering in a state program; and how to handle questions of supply, dosage, and routines of use.

Episode 59: Getting High On Anthropology; Producer: Marty Otañez