Dr. Bob in his element — surrounded by cannabis
"The plant that taught us about ourselves"
In Memoriam
1945 – 2023
The stoned-out hippie with a PhD who changed how I see everything.
"The endocannabinoid system is the wizard behind the curtain—the master regulator that keeps you alive and adapting."
— Dr. Bob Melamede
Dr. Bob in his element — surrounded by cannabis
"The plant that taught us about ourselves"
Dr. Robert Melamede wasn't your typical scientist. With a PhD in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the City University of New York, he spent decades at the University of Colorado studying the endocannabinoid system—the body's master regulatory network that most people have never heard of.
But what made Dr. Bob special wasn't just his credentials. It was his ability to see connections that others missed. He understood that the endocannabinoid system wasn't just about cannabis—it was about how life itself maintains balance in a universe that's constantly pushing toward chaos.
He saw the parallels between thermodynamics and biology, between physics and consciousness. He understood that living systems are far-from-equilibrium processes—constantly surfing the edge between order and chaos, using energy to maintain their complexity against the relentless pull of entropy.
And he wasn't afraid to say it. While other scientists played it safe, Dr. Bob spoke truth to power. He called out the absurdity of cannabis prohibition. He challenged the medical establishment's ignorance of the endocannabinoid system. He predicted the AI revolution and its implications for human consciousness.
His Legacy
Dr. Bob was one of the first to recognize the ECS as the body's master regulatory system—governing everything from mood to metabolism, inflammation to neuroplasticity. He called it "the wizard behind the curtain."
He connected Ilya Prigogine's Nobel Prize-winning work on dissipative structures to biology and consciousness. Life, he argued, is a far-from-equilibrium thermodynamic process—constantly surfing the edge of chaos.
Perhaps his most provocative framework: humanity divides into Forward-Looking People (who embrace change) and Backward-Looking People (who resist it). This isn't about intelligence—it's about orientation toward the future.
Dr. Bob was a fearless advocate for cannabis as medicine, explaining how cannabinoids interact with the ECS to promote homeostasis. He saw prohibition as not just unjust, but scientifically absurd.
I first encountered Dr. Bob in 2010, when I was already deep in the cannabis industry with Weedmaps. I thought I understood cannabis. I was wrong.
Dr. Bob didn't just teach me about the plant—he taught me about life itself. He showed me how the endocannabinoid system connects to thermodynamics, how entropy relates to consciousness, how the same principles that govern the universe govern our bodies and minds.
He was irreverent, brilliant, and completely unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom. He'd explain Nobel Prize-winning physics while rolling a joint, then pivot to the implications for artificial intelligence. He saw patterns that others missed.
When he passed in 2023, I knew I had to carry his ideas forward. Not just the science—anyone can read papers—but the way of seeing. The ability to connect dots across disciplines. The courage to speak truth even when it's uncomfortable.
That's what Far From Equilibrium is about. It's my attempt to honor Dr. Bob's legacy by making his ideas accessible to a new generation—and applying them to the challenges we face today, from AI to consciousness to the future of humanity.
Explore the framework built on Dr. Bob's teachings, or dive into the episodes where I break down each concept.
Dr. Robert Melamede was a molecular biologist, professor, and pioneering cannabis researcher who served as Chairman of the Biology Department at the University of Colorado. He was one of the first scientists to connect cannabinoid science with thermodynamics and complexity theory, creating a unified framework for understanding life and health.
Dr. Bob's revolutionary insight was connecting the endocannabinoid system to far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics. He showed that cannabinoids help maintain the flow states that keep us alive, that free radicals are the 'friction of life,' and that our biochemistry determines whether we're forward-looking or backward-looking people.
Everything on this site builds on Dr. Bob's teachings. I studied with him for years, and his framework for understanding life through thermodynamics transformed my worldview. The concepts of FLPs/BLPs, the role of the endocannabinoid system, and the connection between physics and consciousness all come from his work.
Explore the Dr. Bob's Legacy category in the Articles section, which contains writings that expand on his core teachings. You can also find videos of his lectures online. His ideas deserve to reach a wider audience, which is one of the main purposes of this site.
