The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook
Cannabis medicine, explained by the physician who practices it.
Dr. Benjamin Caplan is a board-certified family physician whose clinic has cared for more than 25,000 patients using cannabis as medicine. His book brings that experience home: how cannabis works, how to choose and dose it, and how it is used for sleep, pain, mood and more.
- 25,000+patients in longitudinal care at CED Clinic
- 20+ yearsof evidence-based clinical practice
- NEJMresearch featured in The New England Journal of Medicine
- Harvardlecturer on medical cannabis at Harvard Business School
The book
A practical guide to cannabis as medicine
Written for patients, caregivers and the clinicians who care for them, the Handbook turns a confusing subject into clear decisions, drawn from years of seeing patients every day.
- How cannabis worksThe plant, the endocannabinoid system, and why the same product can affect two people very differently.
- Choosing and dosingEdibles, tinctures, topicals, inhaled and prescription options, how to avoid ineffective products, and where to start.
- Eleven clinical chaptersSleep, pain, mental health, headaches, seizures, digestion, skin, sexual health, neurodegenerative disease, cancer care and end-of-life planning.
Praise
What readers and experts are saying
Dr. Caplan’s new book offers a wealth of information and a huge dose of compassion and clarity.
There are only a few individuals like Dr. Caplan who are at the leading edge of the field.
Dr. Caplan’s extensive experience as one of the country’s leading medical cannabis practitioners and researchers makes a compelling case that cannabis treatments combined with clinical guidance can help patients realize the full benefits of a medical marijuana regimen.
Companion diagrams
See how it works
More than a hundred diagrams extend the book: how edibles are absorbed, how terpenes shape an effect, how tolerance builds, and how cannabis compares with familiar medicines. Each one links to the current evidence at CED Clinic.
New to cannabis medicine?
Start here, then go deeper at CED Clinic
The book gives you the foundation. CED Clinic is where Dr. Caplan and his team keep that guidance current and care for patients.
Learn the basics
How cannabis works in the body, and why two products with the same label can feel so different.
Getting started with cannabisCheck the rules where you live
Medical cannabis programs differ from state to state. See what registration involves.
Registration informationUnderstand your options
Edibles, tinctures, topicals and inhaled products each behave differently in the body.
Dosage and application guideTalk with a clinician
A cannabis-trained clinician can review your medicines, your conditions and your goals with you.
Request a visitSee the evidence
Plain-language reviews of the studies behind common questions, kept current.
Reviewed researchAsk anything
The CED Research Assistant answers questions from the published medical literature.
Ask the Research Assistant
About the author
Dr. Benjamin Caplan, MD
A board-certified family physician who has practiced cannabis medicine since 2016, Dr. Caplan brings more than twenty years of clinical practice to his research, teaching and policy work.
- Trained at Tufts University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center
- Founder and Chief Medical Officer of CED Clinic, CED Foundation, EO Care and The Commonwealth Project
- The only practicing cannabis physician on The Commonwealth Project team invited to speak at the U.S. DEA rescheduling hearings
Collaborate
Researchers and clinicians: let’s work together
Real-world outcomes research, care models for older adults, and better evidence tools for clinicians.
The newsletter
Doctor-Approved Cannabis, in your inbox
New research, explained by a physician, with Dr. Caplan’s clinical perspective on what it means for patients.