Sydney Lubkin
Appearances
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-14-2024 6PM EST
ZocDoc, an online scheduling platform, says a lot more patients are booking consultation appointments with their doctors to ask about semaglutide. That's the active ingredient in blockbuster obesity drug Wagovi and type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic. ZocDoc says there were 53% more of these appointments in 2024 than in 2023. The company's data showed some insights.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-14-2024 6PM EST
For instance, ZocDoc says the day Oprah did a special about Ozempic, it saw a bump in appointments. More weight loss consultations were also virtual compared with most other ZocDoc appointments, which are in person. The report has its limitations, however. ZocDoc doesn't show whether patients were able to get and fill their prescriptions for these drugs. Sydney Lepkin, NPR News.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
So yes, as cannabis products become more potent and as more Americans consume greater quantities more often, researchers say there are risks to brain function and mental health, which is also true, of course, for alcohol. We're offering information to help cannabis consumers who do choose to partake.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
Yeah, regulators are looking to keep out pesticides, mold, bacteria, and heavy metals like arsenic, which can come from the soil. But it's tricky because on the federal level, cannabis is still illegal, and states that legalized it can regulate it very differently.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
I spoke to Maxwell Lung, an assistant professor at Arizona State University, about a study he did in 2022 about that patchwork of cannabis regulations.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
So what that means is that a pesticide that might prompt one state to pull cannabis off the shelf, another state might not even be looking for. But just testing for more contaminants doesn't necessarily mean a state's cannabis products are safer. It's really early days when it comes to the research. So it's hard to say which contaminants are the most hazardous to human health.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
Yeah, the patchwork of regulations has left a huge opening for underground producers and distributors. NPR has found those products are often grown and processed in really unsanitary conditions with banned pesticides, unhealthy working conditions, and unreliable potency.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
That was Paul Armentano, head of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
So they may be. Right now, legal weed is probably more likely to be free of many contaminants because states are testing them and pulling them off the shelves. And even if they're not, they could. So that's often going to put people on better behavior. In California, there were more than 60 recalls in 2024. That includes flour, pre-rolls, edibles, and vape products.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
And in Maine, which has a newer system, it just issued its first cannabis recall ever in 2024. It was for mold. Researchers are still looking at how effective these consumer protections might be. But for now, if you're getting your cannabis in a store that has regulated products, there's less risk of encountering at least some of the contaminants.