Dr. Robert Melamede was a molecular biologist, cannabis researcher, and radical thinker who spent his career connecting dots that others couldn't see. As a professor at the University of Colorado and president of Cannabis Science Inc., he developed a unified theory of health, consciousness, and evolution based on far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics. These articles honor his legacy and continue his work.
Dr. Bob wasn't just a scientist—he was a prophet of adaptation. He saw that the same principles governing hurricanes and stars also govern human health, social systems, and consciousness itself. His framework explained why cannabis medicine works, why chronic inflammation drives disease, and why rigid thinking leads to suffering. He was decades ahead of his time.
These articles explore Dr. Bob's key ideas: the distinction between Forward-Looking People and Backward-Looking People, the role of the endocannabinoid system in maintaining health, and the thermodynamic basis of life itself. We examine his most controversial claims, celebrate his vindicated predictions, and apply his framework to new challenges he never lived to see.
Dr. Bob passed away in 2023, but his ideas live on. This collection is both a tribute to the man and an invitation to continue his work—to keep pushing boundaries, questioning assumptions, and following the science wherever it leads.
The Stoned-Out Hippie With a PhD
Dr. Bob Melamede wasn't your typical academic. He was a revolutionary who connected dots nobody else was connecting. His story.
The Man Who Understood Everything
Thermodynamics, biology, consciousness, cannabis—Dr. Bob saw how it all connected. A tribute to the intellectual founder of The Forward Look.
Dr. Bob's Most Controversial Idea
FLPs and BLPs. The framework that explains politics, relationships, and human conflict. Why it made him enemies and why it's true.
What Dr. Bob Got Right (That Science is Just Catching Up To)
He was decades ahead. The endocannabinoid system, far-from-equilibrium biology, cannabis medicine—all vindicated. The prophet of adaptation.
The Quote That Changed My Life
'Life is a far-from-equilibrium thermodynamic process.' When I understood what Dr. Bob meant, everything clicked. Let me explain.
Why Dr. Bob Was Banned From Speaking
He was too radical for the establishment. Too honest about cannabis. Too willing to follow the science wherever it led. The cost of truth-telling.
Your Immune System Has Two Speeds
Dr. Bob Melamede's revolutionary theory: Your immune system runs on two fuels—carbs for attack, fat for repair. Learn which mode you're stuck in.
The Psychedelic Visualization of Cellular Biochemistry
What if psychedelic visions aren't hallucinations—but windows into cellular reality? Dr. Bob's connection between LSD and biochemical flow.
G.O.D.: Generalized Open System Dynamics
Dr. Bob's playful acronym for the physics that governs all living systems—and why it might be what people have always meant by 'God.'
Metabolism Drives Evolution
Dr. Bob proposes a revolutionary idea: metabolism drives epigenetic changes, which eventually become genetic changes. A radical theory.