The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has shown weak evidence that medical marijuana is effective in treating a variety of ailments. Also, first-time home buyers helped fuel housing sales in May to the highest rate in six years. Then, a new report from job search site Glassdoor finds that companies are indeed taking longer to hire people.
Medical marijuana meta-analysis shows weak evidence it works
A comprehensive analysis of 79 studies published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has shown weak evidence that medical marijuana is effective in treating a variety of ailments, such as hepatitis C, Crohn disease, and Parkinson disease.
The studies involved over 6,000 patients and covered illnesses from anxiety and sleep disorder to multiple sclerosis and Tourette’s syndrome. The experts in JAMA say there is some evidence to support the use of marijuana for nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy, specific pain syndromes, and spasticity from multiple sclerosis. Twenty-three states and Washington D.C. have legalized marijuana for medical use despite the federal government’s classification of it as a Schedule I controlled substance. Approved conditions vary from state to state, including conditions as varied as Alzheimer’s disease and kidney disease.
One of the studies looked at the efficacy of edibles, the majority of which were determined to have improperly labeled THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content.
Because evidence from high-quality studies is lacking, the editorial in the recommendations encourages federal and state governments to support such research.
Will this analysis stymie medical marijuana in California? What effect will it have on other states considering medical marijuana legislation? To what extent will this open up future research on the subject?
Medical Marijuana: Is the Cart Before the Horse?
Guests:
Dr. Mohini Ranganathan, M.D., (F) (MOH-hee-nee rahng-ah-NAH-then), Editorial Co-Writer of “Medical Marijuana: Is the Cart Before the Horse?”; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
Christopher W. Brown, Press Secretary, Americans for Safe Access - its mission is to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic uses and research
Real estate experts weigh in on SoCal housing market halfway through 2015
Across the U.S., the housing market is continuing to rebound. The National Association of Realtors says first-time home buyers helped fuel housing sales in May to the highest rate in six years.
Here in Southern California, the market for buyers has also made a strong comeback in recent years, and while this has helped home prices continue to rise with demand, there are some current concerns among market-watchers about the housing supply. Last month, the California Association of Realtors said that the low supply has a lot to do with homeowners choosing to stay up rather than start over as buyers, so homes that might otherwise go up on the market just aren’t there. High demand and low supply means higher prices for those looking to sell their homes, and while that’s good for people who can afford to be buyers again, it’s not so great for people like renters who are trying to save up for a down payment on a house but are struggling to keep their savings at pace with rising home prices.
Is now a good time to be looking to buy a house in Southern California, if you can afford it? What does the rest of 2015 hold for the real estate market? What are some of the market factors that will be at play for the remainder of the year as potential buyers look for homes? How is the Southern California housing market looking compared to a year ago? To two years ago?
Guests:
Raphael Bostic, Judith and John Bedrosian Chair in Governance and the Public Enterprise at USC’s Price School of Public Policy
Stuart Gabriel, professor of finance and Arden Realty Chair at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and the director of the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate
Why companies are taking much longer to make hiring decisions
It’s not your imagination. A new report from job search site Glassdoor finds that companies are indeed taking longer to hire people.
Glassdoor interviewed over 340,000 employees in six countries and finds that in the U.S., the overall hiring process takes on average close to 23 days. The interview process now takes about 3 to 4 days.
What are the reasons behind the increase? Call and let us know about your experience, whether you are a jobseeker or a hiring manager.
Guest:
Scott Dobroski, career trends analyst at Glassdoor, , an employment trends website that recently released the study, “Why is Hiring Taking Longer?”
Nobel Prize economist on who gets what - and why
Markets define our world. But unless you are a highly trained economist and game theorist, understanding how we interact within them can be a challenge.
For example, take kidney transplants. There are 100,000 patients waiting for a kidney but only 17,000 transplants per year. What is the most efficient way to coordinate the transplant process? Considering the biological and logistical challenges of transporting organs across the country may seem insurmountable, and opportunity costs abound as emergency transports must be balanced with commercial travel.
Yet for those who study matchmaking and market design, such a challenge provides an opportunity. Kidney transplants can now be efficiently coordinated between four patients-donor pairs in four different cities. Schools with selective programs can now engage in matchmaking with students in a way that maximizes the preferences of both. Matchmaking in jobs and marriage has continued to improve.
What markets do you see operating in your life? To what extent should markets and matchmaking be regulated? And how should we influence the markets that comprise our world to determine who gets what - and why?
Guest:
Alvin E. Roth, Professor of Economics at Stanford University, Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, and 2012 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences for his work in market design. He is author of the new book, "Who Gets What - And Why" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015)