Smoking Versus Edibles

Asking for a Friend,

I have a friend who smokes weed pretty much daily. In a world of medicinal and decriminalized marijuana, what are the actual costs/benefits of consuming it in different forms (smoking, vaping, cookies)?

I live in Philadelphia, so I’d appreciate if you didn’t use my name. Thanks.

Dear Terry Gross,

Last month, Canada’s Center for Addiction and Mental Health issued some interesting guidelines that address your question. Canada has been moving toward legalization, the authors argue, and that should be done in a deliberate way—with a clear plan to regulate the industry and safely inform the public on the best ways to use cannabis. They write: “A substantial extent of the risk of adverse health outcomes from cannabis use may be reduced by informed behavioral choices among