According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States, with 37.6 million users in the past year. Yet there is a growing body of evidence to show that medical marijuana may help in treating a variety of chronic health conditions. More than 30 states sanction marijuana for medical indications, and ten have made it available for recreational use. What is the difference between medical and recreational marijuana? What are the risks and benefits?

With the landscape for legal use changing rapidly, it’s a good time to find out the answers to these questions and more with expert guests:

Diana Martins-Welch, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine, whose research interests include the study of how medical cannabis can manage symptoms for cancer patients, and 
Marc Ross, Esq, adjunct professor of law at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University and a leading authority involving the issues in marijuana legalization and laws across the country concerning marijuana and marijuana-related businesses.

Do you know what’s inside your medical record? Ever wonder what your doctor is jotting down during your office visit? For many people, it’s all too easy to leave their health information in the hands of physicians and hospitals, but patient advocates argue that’s a big mistake.

Please join us as we talk about ways patients can move from the sidelines of care to become an engaged and empowered member of their healthcare team with expert guests: Mitchell Adler, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and chief medical information officer at Northwell Health Physician Partners, and Ilene Corina , president and founder of the Pulse Center for Patient Safety Education & Advocacy, a community-based patient safety organization.

The discussion covers OpenNotes, an international movement that is making healthcare more transparent by urging doctors, nurses, therapists, and others to invite patients to read notes they write to describe a visit.

It’s no secret that age is catching up with us. A release by the US Census Bureau predicts that older adults will outnumber children for the first time in our nation’s history by the year 2030. This means that more people will take the lead in caring for their senior parents, family members and neighbors—a trend that includes over 40 million Americans today who serve as unpaid caregivers for an adult age 65 and up, many with major health issues.

Tune in to Well Said with Dr. Ira Nash  for a timely talk about how to prepare to care for the aging loved ones in your life with guests Maria Carney, MD, associate professor of medicine, Zucker School of Medicine, and chief, division of geriatric and palliative medicine, Northwell Health, and Gina Granger, MA, MSEd, assistant director, medical science youth programs, Zucker School of Medicine, who shares her experience as a caregiver of an elderly parent.

Go for a walk down any city street in America and you’ll see that electronic or “E” cigarettes seem to be everywhere. Yet there is so much unknown about the safety of e-cigarettes or even if they help in quitting smoking. To help clear the air about this growing trend we’re speaking with Patricia Folan, RN, DNP, CTTS, director of Northwell Health’s Center for Tobacco Control, and Heather Hugelmeyer, LCSW, program director of the Garden City Treatment Center, an outpatient clinic for the substance use disorder treatment.