Regarding Leana S. Wen’s Dec. 24 op-ed, “Marijuana is not a wellness product”:
Wen’s claim that cannabis isn’t a “wellness product, just as smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol aren’t health-promoting decisions” missed the mark.
According to a thorough 2023 review by the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 30,000 U.S. health care practitioners are authorized to recommend the use of cannabis products to their patients.
A separate review by researchers affiliated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that “over two-thirds (68.9 percent) of clinicians surveyed believe that cannabis has medicinal uses and just over a quarter (26.6 percent) had ever recommended cannabis to a patient.”
Finally, an exhaustive review by experts at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Mathematics identified “conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective” for the treatment of a variety of symptoms including chronic pain and nausea.
Nations around the world, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel and Britain, regulate and acknowledge cannabis as a legitimate medicine. It’s high time the United States follows suit.
Paul Armentano, Washington
The writer is deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Cannabis smoke is dangerous
The Dec. 18 editorial “Legalize it” argued that cannabis should be legalized by the federal government. However, in the rush to legalize cannabis in many states and D.C., there has been a widespread failure to recognize that inhalation of cannabis smoke, whether active or passive, poses significant dangers to human health.
The consequences of smoking tobacco, such as heart and lung disease, are well documented. In the 20th century, there were more than 100 milliontobacco-related dealths.
Although the psychoactive ingredients of tobacco and marijuana differ, recent studies reportthat burning marijuana can produce many of the same toxic and carcinogenic compounds as tobacco.
Breathing smoke causes damage to many organ systems of the body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that “smoked cannabis, regardless of how it is smoked, can harm lung tissues and cause scarring and damage to small blood vessels.” Legalization must not be used to imply that breathing cannabis smoke is safe for the user or for innocent bystanders, especially asthmatics. Moreover, cannabis smoking shouldn’t be permitted where tobacco smoking is banned.
James Repace, Davidsonville
The writer is a retired U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientist.
Noteworthy omission
The Dec. 30 online news article “Portraits of a Palestinian diaspora” purports to give a history of the circumstances leading to the statelessness of Palestinians. However, the feature omitted two choices elected Palestinian leadership took that also played a role in shaping the current situation.
In July 2000, President Bill Clinton presided over a summit to solve the conflict. At the summit, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered a deal to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Post reporter Lee Hockstader reported at the time that despite Israeli concessions, “Arafat said no, and even the moderates on his delegation joined ranks publicly.”
In 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas a comprehensive deal. Post columnist David Ignatius wrote later that “the Palestinian leader balked and asked to consult his experts first.” Abbas never replied, effectively nixing the deal.
If either Arafat or Abbas had accepted the terms offered, there would have been a Palestinian state for the diaspora to return to by now.
David Gerstman, Baltimore
The writer is a media research analyst at the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.
Parents need to parent
The Dec. 30 Style article, “Studies shed light on risks of early access to smartphones,” focused on when children should receive smartphones.
What the article did not mention, though, is what parents should do once a child has a smartphone. Yes, limiting screen time and access to social media is good for young people. But effective parental control can be very simple: Keep children’s phones in parents’ rooms at night.
I am a fourth-grade teacher, so my students are 9 and 10 years old. I have seen students falling asleep at school who explained they were tired because they were up to the wee hours playing games on their phones.
Parents need to remove the temptation that makes this possible.
Diane B. Norton, Fairfax
Following Marc A. Thiessen’s Dec. 30 online column, “The Who, Chicago and ’80s galore: My favorite concerts of 2025,” Post Opinions wants to know: What were the best concerts you saw this year? Share your favorites, and we might publish your response as a letter to the editor.
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