The problem with the JAMA articles, and many other recent articles, is that the title is misleading and inflammatory.  The title should be Medical Marijuana: Here is the Evidence.  For a substance that has been illegal to use or research for 70 years for deeply political and race based reasons, there is a stunning amount of research.  Search PubMed and find 20K articles on Cannabis and only 5k on EtOH.  There is no question that the government needs to change its stance and promote more, large scale clinical trials.  However, to say the cart is before the horse is just silly politics, again.

Reporting the results of a nationwide study, researchers from the University of Georgia School of Social Work have identified a common factor that greatly increases the likelihood of prescription drug misuse. Regardless of age or other sociodemographic characteristic, people with a history of illicit substance use, such as marijuana, cocaine, or heroin, are all at substantially higher risk for prescription pain reliever abuse. The findings provide support for conclusions reached recently in a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control that heroin use correlated positively with cocaine or opioid medication abuse. The findings, published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, may help healthcare providers and others curb painkiller misuse.

The vote was the third time the board has rejected petitions to add PTSD to the list. About five dozen PTSD sufferers attended the hearing, some loudly jeering. A few were asked to leave.

"They just told every patient here, 'We don't care about you,' " said patient advocate Teri Robnett after the vote.

Colorado allows adults older than 21 to buy pot for recreational use, with no doctor's recommendation needed. But medical pot in Colorado is taxed at 2.9 percent, compared with at least 19 percent for recreational pot. Medical patients are allowed to possess twice as much marijuana: 2 ounces instead of 1 ounce.

Voters approved medical and recreational legalization.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), is a progressive neurological condition that affects the muscular motor function of the limbs and vital organs. ALS afflicts more than 30,000 Americans; it is most common in patients who are 30-60 years old. It is estimated that 5,500 Americans are diagnosed with this condition each year.

Brought to public attention by 2014’s viral celebrity-filled ALS Bucket Challenge internet videos, common symptoms of ALS include muscle weakness, muscle spasms, depression, lack of appetite, and debilitating loss of coordination.

The first clinical trial in Canada is under way to test whether the party drug could be part of a treatment for those with PTSD

For the first time in four decades, an illegal psychedelic drug is being clinically tested in Canada. A team of psychiatrists and psychologists in Vancouver are giving 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA)—better known as the party drug ecstasy—to 12 people suffering from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The drug will be administered in therapeutic sessions to help them deal with memories they have found difficult or impossible to confront, as part of a group of clinical trials, including in the U.S. and Israel.

DENVER (AP) — Colorado is known for pushing boundaries on marijuana, but health officials' decision to reject pot as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder shows the issue is far from settled.

Voters have made marijuana legal for both medical and recreational use, but government officials at every level have continually pushed back.

The state Board of Health voted 6-2 Wednesday against adding PTSD to the list of ailments eligible for treatment with medical marijuana. It came despite a recommendation from Colorado's chief medical officer and a panel of physicians.

Board members cited a lack of research, including medical trials.

"We have an absence of scientific information," board member Rick Brown said.

A new survey of 219 PatientsLikeMe members has found that patients with certain conditions who use medical marijuana believe it is the best available treatment for them, with fewer side effects than other options and few risks. The survey, conducted in June 2015, is among the first to gauge patient perceptions about the benefits and risks of medical marijuana and their level of willingness to recommend its use.

States that permit qualified patients to access medical marijuana via dispensaries possess lower rates of opioid addiction and overdose deaths, according to a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a non-partisan think-tank.

A year and a half ago, Dr. David Casarett did not take medical marijuana very seriously. "When I first started this project, I really thought of medical marijuana as a joke," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.

But then the palliative care specialist began to look seriously into the issue, and his mind began to change: "I've come to realize there really are medical benefits to medical marijuana. ... For many of the patients I spoke with, medical marijuana is not a joke. It's not funny. It's a treatment that they've come to rely on."