Dr. Benjamin Caplan, MD
Table of Contents
- Benjamin Caplan, MD
- Biography
- Credentials, Training & Professional Timeline
- Medical Training & Certification
- Academic, Research & Leadership Roles
- Williams College
- UCLA Brain Mapping Center
- Tufts University School of Medicine
- Boston Medical Center
- Founder, CED Clinic
- Founder, CED Foundation
- NEJM Publication & National Leadership
- EO Care & Digital Health
- Published Author & Harvard Business School Lecturer
- Harvard Business School Cannabis Business Conference
- National Policy & Keynote Recognition
- Clinical Leadership
- Research & Publications
- Experimental Work & New Directions
- Harvard Business School & Published Work
- Media, Public Education & Recognition
- Endocannabinoid System Leadership
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Contact & Professional Resources
Benjamin Caplan, MD
Author • Researcher • Educator
Cannabis Medicine & Endocannabinoid System Specialist
Biography
A physician, educator, researcher, author, and healthcare innovator whose work has helped shape modern conversations surrounding cannabis medicine and the endocannabinoid system.
Benjamin Caplan, MD is a board-certified Family Medicine physician whose career has focused on translating emerging science into practical, evidence-informed patient care. Over more than twenty years in medicine, his work has spanned clinical practice, medical education, scientific publishing, healthcare technology, public policy, and research, with particular emphasis on cannabinoid therapeutics and endocannabinoid system science.
Dr. Caplan earned his undergraduate degree from Williams College before pursuing medical training at Tufts University School of Medicine. He completed residency training in Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center, where he developed a broad foundation in primary care, chronic disease management, behavioral health, preventive medicine, and longitudinal patient relationships. Early in his academic career, he also participated in neuroscience research at the UCLA Brain Mapping Center, an experience that contributed to his enduring interest in the biological systems that regulate human health and disease.
In 2013, Dr. Caplan founded CED Clinic, one of the longest-running cannabis medicine practices in the United States. Through the clinic’s growth and development, he helped create systems for evidence-based cannabinoid care that emphasized patient safety, individualized treatment planning, longitudinal outcomes tracking, and physician oversight. Over time, the clinic evolved beyond traditional medical practice to become a platform for research, education, and real-world clinical observation.
Across his clinical career, Dr. Caplan has contributed to the evaluation and care of more than 350,000 medical cannabis patients. That experience has provided a unique perspective on the practical application of cannabinoid therapeutics across a wide range of patient populations and clinical conditions, including chronic pain, anxiety disorders, sleep disturbances, neurological conditions, oncology support, inflammatory disorders, and age-related health concerns.
As interest in cannabinoid medicine expanded, Dr. Caplan increasingly focused not only on cannabis itself but on the broader biological system with which cannabinoids interact: the endocannabinoid system. Through research initiatives, educational programming, public speaking, writing, and clinical innovation efforts, he has worked to increase awareness of the ECS among physicians, healthcare organizations, policymakers, and the public. Much of his recent work centers on helping healthcare professionals understand the role of endocannabinoid regulation in human physiology, resilience, recovery, and health maintenance.
Beyond direct patient care, Dr. Caplan has served in leadership roles across multiple organizations dedicated to healthcare innovation and education. He serves as Chief Medical Officer of CED Clinic, EO Care, The Commonwealth Project, and CED Foundation. These organizations collectively focus on clinical care, senior health initiatives, healthcare technology, physician education, research translation, and public health outreach.
Dr. Caplan is also the author of The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook, published by Penguin Random House. Written for both patients and healthcare professionals, the book synthesizes scientific literature, clinical experience, and practical guidance into an accessible framework for understanding cannabis medicine. It has become one of the most widely distributed physician-authored resources on the subject.
His academic and educational contributions have included publication in The New England Journal of Medicine, invited lectures at healthcare organizations throughout North America, and the delivery of Harvard Business School’s inaugural lecture dedicated to cannabis medicine. He subsequently helped establish the first Cannabis Business Conference at Harvard Business School, bringing together physicians, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and investors to explore the future of cannabinoid healthcare and industry development.
In addition to clinical and educational work, Dr. Caplan has been active in healthcare technology and artificial intelligence. He founded Cannabis AI, a physician-designed clinical intelligence platform built to organize and retrieve cannabis research literature at scale. The system was developed to help clinicians, researchers, and healthcare professionals navigate an increasingly complex scientific landscape while maintaining a strong emphasis on evidence quality and clinical relevance.
Today, Dr. Caplan’s work continues to operate at the intersection of medicine, science, education, healthcare innovation, and public policy. Through patient care, research leadership, writing, teaching, and technology development, he remains committed to advancing a more rigorous, evidence-based understanding of cannabinoid medicine and the endocannabinoid system.
Clinical Philosophy
Effective healthcare begins with listening, measurement, and scientific humility. Dr. Caplan’s approach emphasizes individualized care, careful interpretation of evidence, longitudinal follow-up, and respect for the complexity of human physiology. Rather than focusing on cannabis as a product, his work increasingly centers on helping patients and clinicians better understand the biological systems that influence health, adaptation, recovery, and resilience.
Tufts University School of Medicine
Boston Medical Center
The New England Journal of Medicine
Credentials, Training & Professional Timeline
A concise professional record of Dr. Caplan’s medical training, academic background, clinical leadership, research experience, and educational contributions.
Medical Training & Certification
| Board Certification | Board-Certified, American Board of Family Medicine |
| Medical Degree | Doctor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine |
| Residency | Family Medicine Residency, Boston Medical Center |
| Undergraduate | Williams College |
| Clinical Focus | Cannabis Medicine, Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Endocannabinoid System Science, Family Medicine |
| Patient Care | Adult and pediatric clinical care, longitudinal cannabinoid medicine, chronic disease support, symptom management, and patient-centered treatment planning |
Academic, Research & Leadership Roles
| Current Roles | Chief Medical Officer, CED Clinic; EO Care; The Commonwealth Project; CED Foundation |
| Research | Principal Investigator and clinical research leader in cannabis medicine, patient outcomes, endocannabinoid system science, and digital health innovation |
| Clinical Trials | Clinical research experience including FDA-regulated study environments and protocol-driven patient evaluation |
| Academic Teaching | Harvard Business School lecturer and founder of the Cannabis Business Conference at Harvard Business School |
| Publishing | Author, The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook; contributor to The New England Journal of Medicine |
| Technology | Founder and architect of Cannabis AI, a physician-designed clinical intelligence system for cannabinoid research retrieval |
Williams College
Undergraduate education emphasizing scientific inquiry, interdisciplinary thinking, writing, music, psychology, language, and liberal arts scholarship.
UCLA Brain Mapping Center
Early neuroscience research experience involving functional neuroimaging, brain mapping, and human physiology, forming an important foundation for later work in systems-level medicine.
Tufts University School of Medicine
Medical training focused on human physiology, clinical medicine, evidence-based care, patient communication, and the physician’s role in translating science into practice.
Boston Medical Center
Family Medicine residency training across diverse patient populations, with emphasis on primary care, chronic disease management, behavioral health, preventive medicine, and longitudinal physician-patient relationships.
Founder, CED Clinic
Founded one of the longest-running cannabis medicine practices in the United States, with a model emphasizing physician oversight, patient safety, documentation, individualized dosing, and longitudinal outcomes.
Founder, CED Foundation
Launched an education and research initiative dedicated to improving cannabis literacy among clinicians, patients, researchers, and policymakers.
NEJM Publication & National Leadership
Contributed to The New England Journal of Medicine and expanded leadership in national cannabinoid medicine initiatives, including The Commonwealth Project.
EO Care & Digital Health
Co-founded EO Care, a HIPAA-compliant digital health platform designed to deliver evidence-informed cannabis care at scale, with an emphasis on longitudinal outcomes and patient guidance.
Published Author & Harvard Business School Lecturer
Published The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook through Penguin Random House and delivered Harvard Business School’s first lecture focused specifically on cannabis medicine.
Harvard Business School Cannabis Business Conference
Founded the Cannabis Business Conference at Harvard Business School, convening physicians, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors, and academics.
National Policy & Keynote Recognition
Expanded national leadership through public policy engagement, senior healthcare innovation, and invited keynote presentations, including work connected to The Commonwealth Project and the New York State Medical Cannabis Symposium.
This timeline is intentionally selective. It highlights the through-line of Dr. Caplan’s work: clinical medicine, systems-level biology, cannabinoid therapeutics, research translation, physician education, public communication, healthcare innovation, and policy engagement.
Clinical Leadership
Dr. Caplan’s work extends across clinical care, digital health, senior healthcare innovation, physician education, research translation, and public policy. The organizations below represent the major platforms through which that work is carried forward.
- Clinical cannabis medicine practice based in Massachusetts with national consultative reach
- More than 35,000 patients served through CED Clinic
- Clinical protocols focused on safety, individualized dosing, and longitudinal follow-up
- Practice model integrating care delivery, education, and real-world outcome observation
- Digital health infrastructure for cannabinoid medicine
- Designed for scalable care delivery and longitudinal patient support
- Focus on patients, partners, payers, and healthcare organizations
- Integrates clinical expertise with technology-enabled guidance
- National initiative focused on older adults and healthcare access
- Emphasis on cannabinoid care, Medicare populations, and senior wellness
- Clinical leadership supporting education, policy, and implementation strategy
- Public health orientation grounded in outcomes and responsible care models
- Education-focused platform for cannabis medicine and ECS literacy
- Supports clinician education, patient education, and research translation
- Curates and interprets peer-reviewed cannabis and endocannabinoid literature
- Bridges scientific research, public communication, and practical clinical guidance
A clinical ecosystem built around evidence, access, and education
Taken together, these organizations reflect a consistent through-line: improving the quality, safety, accessibility, and scientific grounding of cannabinoid medicine. Rather than treating cannabis as a stand-alone product category, Dr. Caplan’s work has focused on care systems, patient outcomes, physician education, endocannabinoid system science, and responsible healthcare implementation.
This ecosystem includes direct clinical care through CED Clinic, scalable digital health through EO Care, population-health innovation through The Commonwealth Project, and education and research translation through CED Foundation. Each organization contributes a different layer to the same central mission: helping patients and healthcare professionals make better, safer, more informed decisions.
The result is a clinical and educational platform that spans individual patient care, large-scale public education, senior healthcare, research infrastructure, and technology-supported medical guidance.
Research & Publications
Dr. Caplan’s research and scholarly work spans peer-reviewed publication, clinical investigation, neuroscience foundations, cannabis outcomes, endocannabinoid system education, medical writing, and large-scale research translation.
Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain
Caulley L, Caplan B, Ross E. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2018;379(16):1575-1577. PMID: 30332574. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMclde1808149.
Published in one of the world’s most respected medical journals, this contribution addressed the evolving clinical role of medical cannabis in chronic pain care and reflected Dr. Caplan’s early involvement in bringing physician-level clinical judgment into public discussions of cannabinoid therapeutics.
Principal Investigator & Clinical Research Experience
Dr. Caplan has served as Principal Investigator, research collaborator, and clinical research leader on initiatives examining cannabinoid therapeutics, patient outcomes, symptom management, quality of life, aging, endocannabinoid system function, and healthcare delivery.
His research perspective combines formal clinical investigation experience, real-world patient outcomes, physician-guided cannabis care, and the practical realities of implementing cannabinoid therapeutics in modern healthcare settings.
Neuroscience Foundations
Before becoming known for cannabis medicine, Dr. Caplan participated in neuroscience research at the UCLA Brain Mapping Center, contributing to work involving functional neuroimaging, brain mapping, and systems-level approaches to human physiology.
- Functional neuroimaging background
- Brain mapping research exposure
- Systems-level view of human physiology
Real-World Cannabis Outcomes
Through CED Clinic and related research infrastructure, Dr. Caplan’s work has contributed to large-scale observation of patient-reported outcomes, symptom patterns, dosing responses, medication use, quality of life, and care delivery models.
- Longitudinal patient observation
- Patient-centered outcomes tracking
- Clinical cannabis care implementation
Research Library Curation
Dr. Caplan has curated one of the world’s largest organized collections of cannabis and endocannabinoid system literature, supporting evidence translation for clinicians, patients, researchers, journalists, and policymakers.
- Peer-reviewed cannabis literature
- Endocannabinoid system science
- Clinical relevance interpretation
From evidence to clinical meaning
A central theme of Dr. Caplan’s work is translation: helping patients, clinicians, and healthcare leaders understand what scientific evidence does and does not show. In cannabis medicine, that distinction is essential. The field contains meaningful clinical signals, genuine uncertainty, complex regulatory history, variable product quality, and large gaps between public perception and medical evidence.
Dr. Caplan’s writing, research, and educational work emphasize study design, clinical relevance, dosing principles, safety, limitations, and real-world implementation. Rather than treating cannabis research as advocacy material, his approach frames the literature as an evolving clinical evidence base requiring careful interpretation.
That work is reflected in peer-reviewed publication, physician education, patient-facing writing, public commentary, clinical AI development, and structured evidence review systems.
Experimental Work & New Directions
Dr. Caplan’s current work extends beyond clinical cannabis care into public-interest knowledge networks, clinical AI systems, and modern practice tools for healthcare professionals.
Building public-interest medical knowledge systems
Dr. Caplan’s current experimental work focuses on the development of public-interest knowledge networks designed to make complex medical and scientific information more organized, accessible, clinically useful, and responsibly interpreted.
Through CAI and related projects, he is exploring how large language models can support evidence organization, research retrieval, patient education, clinical communication, and healthcare professional learning while preserving the central role of clinician judgment.
This work reflects a broader effort to help patients, clinicians, researchers, and public health institutions navigate rapidly expanding bodies of medical literature without reducing evidence to slogans, anecdotes, or unsupported claims.
A major focus is the responsible use of AI to support healthcare professionals as they modernize clinical communication, documentation, education, research translation, publishing, and patient-facing guidance.
CAI
Physician-designed clinical intelligence tools for organizing cannabis and endocannabinoid system literature, retrieving relevant evidence, and supporting responsible medical knowledge translation.
- Evidence retrieval and organization
- Clinical education support
- Research translation workflows
Public-Interest Knowledge Networks
Systems designed to connect peer-reviewed research, clinical interpretation, patient education, and public health communication in ways that are useful, transparent, and clinically grounded.
- Structured medical knowledge libraries
- Patient and clinician education
- Accessible evidence interpretation
Practice Modernization
Support for healthcare professionals seeking to modernize their practices with LLM-powered tools for documentation, communication, publishing, workflow design, and patient education.
- Clinical workflow modernization
- Educational and publishing systems
- Responsible AI-assisted practice tools
Harvard Business School & Published Work
Dr. Caplan’s educational and publishing work has helped bring cannabis medicine, cannabinoid therapeutics, and endocannabinoid system science into academic, clinical, business, and public conversations.
Cannabis Medicine at Harvard Business School
Dr. Caplan delivered Harvard Business School’s first lecture focused specifically on cannabis medicine, introducing students, healthcare leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors to the clinical realities of cannabinoid therapeutics and the emerging importance of the endocannabinoid system.
The lecture helped frame cannabis not simply as a business sector or regulatory topic, but as a medical and public health field requiring scientific literacy, clinician engagement, responsible implementation, and attention to measurable patient outcomes.
Building Dialogue Across Medicine, Policy, Research, and Industry
Dr. Caplan subsequently contributed to the launch of Harvard Business School’s first Cannabis Business Conference, helping create a forum where physicians, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and healthcare leaders could examine the evolving cannabis field through a more clinically responsible lens.
His educational work has consistently emphasized the need to distinguish scientific evidence from advocacy, commercial enthusiasm, anecdote, and regulatory assumption. In that setting, his role has been to bring clinical perspective, patient experience, and medical judgment into conversations that often occur without physician leadership.
The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook
Published by Penguin Random House and BenBella Books, The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook provides a practical, physician-authored framework for understanding medical cannabis, cannabinoid therapeutics, dosing principles, product selection, patient safety, and endocannabinoid system health.
The book was written to serve patients, caregivers, clinicians, and educators seeking a medically grounded alternative to cannabis information that is often fragmented, promotional, anecdotal, or disconnected from clinical realities.
Drawing from decades of clinical practice, large-scale patient experience, scientific literature review, and physician education, the book translates a complex and fast-evolving field into clear, usable guidance.
- Author Benjamin Caplan, MD
- Publisher Penguin Random House / BenBella Books
- ISBN 978-1637742679
- Focus Evidence-Based Cannabis Medicine
- Audience Patients, Caregivers, Clinicians, Educators
- Distribution International
Media, Public Education & Recognition
Dr. Caplan is frequently sought out for physician-level perspective on cannabis medicine, public health, patient safety, healthcare innovation, policy, and the endocannabinoid system.
Public Communication With Clinical Context
Cannabis medicine is often discussed through extremes: commercial enthusiasm, political debate, cultural stigma, anecdote, or isolated research headlines. Dr. Caplan’s public education work is designed to bring clinical perspective into those conversations.
His media commentary, newsletter writing, book authorship, and public lectures emphasize evidence quality, patient safety, realistic expectations, individualized care, study limitations, and the difference between scientific signal and unsupported claim.
A Physician Voice Across Medicine, Policy, and Media
Dr. Caplan has appeared in or contributed to national and regional media discussions involving cannabinoid therapeutics, medical cannabis regulation, chronic pain, older adult care, women’s health, product safety, physician education, and healthcare innovation.
His role in public communication is not to advocate for cannabis as a universal solution, but to help patients, clinicians, journalists, and policymakers understand what the evidence suggests, what remains uncertain, and how clinical care can be made safer and more responsible.
Presidential Recognition
Recognized for national leadership related to evidence-based cannabinoid medicine, senior healthcare innovation, and access-oriented public health work through The Commonwealth Project.
New York State Keynote
Invited by the New York State Office of Cannabis Management and Northwell Health to deliver a keynote address on integrating cannabis into modern medical care.
Harvard Conference Founder
Founded the Cannabis Business Conference at Harvard Business School, bringing together physicians, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and academic leaders.
Harvard Business School Lecture
Delivered Harvard Business School’s first lecture focused specifically on cannabis medicine, helping introduce cannabinoid therapeutics into a mainstream academic business setting.
Recognition is included here not as decoration, but as corroboration. Across media, academic, clinical, policy, and publishing settings, Dr. Caplan’s work has consistently centered on one question: how can cannabinoid medicine be made more evidence-based, clinically responsible, and useful to patients and healthcare professionals?
Endocannabinoid System Leadership
A central theme of Dr. Caplan’s work is that cannabis medicine cannot be understood fully without understanding the biological system it engages: the endocannabinoid system.
Helping medicine better understand the endocannabinoid system
The endocannabinoid system is a widespread physiologic signaling network involved in pain processing, inflammation, sleep, appetite, mood, stress adaptation, immune regulation, metabolism, memory, and homeostatic balance. While public discussion often focuses on cannabis products, the deeper clinical question is how this regulatory system functions and how it may be supported safely.
Dr. Caplan’s educational, clinical, and research work increasingly centers on helping patients, clinicians, healthcare leaders, and policymakers understand the ECS as a foundational biological system rather than a narrow cannabis-related topic.
This orientation changes the clinical conversation. It shifts attention from whether cannabis is “good” or “bad” in the abstract toward more useful questions: which patient, which goal, which compound, which dose, which route, which risks, which outcomes, and which measurable changes over time?
The future of cannabinoid medicine may not be cannabis itself. It may be helping healthcare finally understand and support the body’s own endocannabinoid system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Dr. Benjamin Caplan?
Benjamin Caplan, MD is a board-certified Family Medicine physician, author, researcher, educator, and healthcare innovator specializing in cannabis medicine and endocannabinoid system science.
Is Dr. Caplan board certified?
Yes. Dr. Caplan is board-certified in Family Medicine.
Where did Dr. Caplan attend medical school?
Dr. Caplan earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine.
Where did Dr. Caplan complete residency?
Dr. Caplan completed Family Medicine residency training at Boston Medical Center.
What is Dr. Caplan’s clinical focus?
Dr. Caplan’s clinical focus includes cannabis medicine, cannabinoid therapeutics, endocannabinoid system science, individualized dosing, patient safety, and longitudinal outcome-based care.
Has Dr. Caplan published peer-reviewed medical work?
Yes. Dr. Caplan has contributed to peer-reviewed medical literature, including a publication in The New England Journal of Medicine addressing medical cannabis and chronic pain.
What book did Dr. Caplan write?
Dr. Caplan is the author of The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook, published by Penguin Random House and BenBella Books.
Did Dr. Caplan teach at Harvard Business School?
Yes. Dr. Caplan delivered Harvard Business School’s first lecture focused specifically on cannabis medicine and helped establish the Cannabis Business Conference at Harvard Business School.
What organizations does Dr. Caplan lead?
Dr. Caplan serves in leadership roles with CED Clinic, EO Care, The Commonwealth Project, and CED Foundation.
What is the endocannabinoid system?
The endocannabinoid system is a widespread physiologic signaling network involved in regulating functions such as pain, inflammation, mood, sleep, appetite, memory, stress response, immune activity, metabolism, and homeostasis.
How can patients contact Dr. Caplan’s clinical team?
Patients can contact CED Clinic through CEDclinic.com or by calling 617-500-3595.
Contact & Professional Resources
For patient care, professional inquiries, media requests, research collaboration, or organizational information, the following resources provide the most direct starting points.
Patient Care
CED Clinic provides physician-led cannabis medicine care, education, and consultation services.
Professional Information
For biography, speaking, media, authorship, and professional background information.
Organizations
Dr. Caplan’s work spans clinical care, digital health, senior health, and education.
Benjamin Caplan, MD is a board-certified Family Medicine physician whose work spans clinical care, medical research, healthcare technology, physician education, public communication, and endocannabinoid system science.