Thank you for the reply. I am beginning to understand what you mean about how there is not enough research to make general statements about side effects or medical efficacy, because there are just so many potential factors that could have an influence on how cannabis affects an individual.

I can see why one would hesitate to make recommendations, especially as a doctor, when it's simply uncertain if a user would get medical benefits, or whether they would have negative side-effects. As unlikely as side effects may be on average, for people with specific conditions a negative effect might be predictable if that condition and its interaction with cannabis was isolated in a study.