Facts & Risks
Educate Your Family on Dangers of Marijuana Use
Marijuana use comes with real risks that can impact a person’s health and life.
Whether marijuana is smoked, vaped, or eaten, there are adverse effects associated with use in any form.
Studies have found marijuana is an addictive, harmful, and mind altering drug. It over-activates parts of the brain and negatively affects brain development. Marijuana leads to physical health problems, mental health problems, and risk of addiction.
With the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana throughout the United States, marijuana potency has increased exponentially. Concentrates are not the traditional joint of the past. Concentrates are highly potent, THC-rich forms of marijuana that can be vaped, dabbed, and used in edibles.
Exposure to high levels of THC, the chemical in marijuana that causes impairment, increases the risks of physical dependence and addiction. Higher doses of THC are more likely to produce anxiety, agitation, paranoia, and psychosis.
Arizona Parents: Do you need tips on how to talk to your child about the new recreational marijuana laws? Download these talking tips today.
Surgeon General Advisory
– VADM Jerome Adams, the first Surgeon General Advisory on marijuana since 1982
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Almost 30% of teens have used marijuana - this is TOO many!
Latest Studies
The relationship between cannabis and cardiovascular disease: clearing the haze | PubMed | 1/23/2025
Abstract
Cannabis has been consumed for centuries, but global regulatory changes over the past three decades have increased the availability and consumption of cannabis. Cannabinoids are touted to have therapeutic potential for many diseases and could be a replacement for opioids for analgesia and sedation. However, cannabinoids can cause substantial adverse cardiovascular events that would mitigate any potential benefit. The endocannabinoid system regulates mood, satiety and memory, and modulates the cardiovascular system. The link between cannabinoids and cardiovascular disease, which used to be limited to evidence from preclinical studies, case reports and case series, is now evident in epidemiological studies. Cannabinoids adversely affect the cardiovascular system, causing myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accidents, arrhythmia and heart failure. The effects of novel cannabinoids are unknown, and synthetic cannabinoids have the potential to cause even more substantial harm than traditional cannabinoids. Therefore, with the increasing availability and use of cannabis, the acute and chronic effects of this drug are becoming apparent.
Marijuana Use Increases the Risk of Postoperative Bleeding in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Body Contouring | PubMed | 1/7/2025
Abstract
Background: The legalization and changing perception of marijuana have led to a significant increase in its use. Although studies exploring marijuana’s physiological effects have grown, its effect on surgical outcomes remains unclear. This study investigates the influence of marijuana consumption on postoperative complications in patients undergoing abdominal body contouring surgeries such as abdominoplasties and panniculectomies.
Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients who underwent abdominal body contouring procedures at an urban academic institution from 2016 to 2021. Data collected included demographic characteristics, marijuana consumption (active use, former use (last use 6 weeks prior to surgery), or never user), preoperative comorbidities, tobacco usage, operative characteristics, and postoperative complication data within 90 days.
Association between cannabis use and clinical outcomes in patients with solid malignancies receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors | PubMed | 12/25/2024
Abstract
Background: Cannabis (CAN) use has risen significantly over the last few decades. CAN has potent immunosuppressive properties, which could antagonize the effect of immunotherapy (IO). The impact of CAN use on clinical cancer outcomes remains unclear.
Objectives: In this study, we evaluated the clinical effect of CAN use on clinical outcomes among patients with solid malignancies receiving IO.
Design: This is a retrospective cohort study of all patients with solid malignancies receiving IO between August 2014 and August 2018.
Association of State Cannabis Legalization With Cannabis Use Disorder and Cannabis Poisoning | PubMed | 12/23/2024
Importance: Whether state implementation of medical and recreational cannabis laws is associated with increased cannabis use disorder (CUD) and/or cannabis poisoning among adults is not evident.
Objective: To examine state-level medical and recreational cannabis laws’ associations with CUD and cannabis poisoning, overall and by sex and age subgroups.
Design, setting, and participants: In this longitudinal cohort study, state-level CUD and cannabis poisoning diagnoses from January 2011 to December 2021 were examined across all 50 US states and the District of Columbia before and after the implementation of medical and recreational cannabis laws (MCLs and RCLs, respectively) using a staggered adoption difference-in-differences approach. Event studies were conducted to estimate the magnitude of the association for each year-quarter relative to the time of each policy implementation. This study was conducted among all adults aged 18 to 64 years enrolled in the Merative MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database, a database of employer-sponsored health insurance enrollees, with 1 year or more of continuous enrollment from 2011 to 2021. Data analysis was performed from January to August 2024.
Trends in Cannabis-related Hospitalizations in Arizona from 2016-2021 and Associations with Mental Health-related Hospitalizations | NIH | 12/27/2024
ABSTRACT.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine trends in cannabis-related hospital visits in Arizona from 2016 to 2021 and associations with hospital visits for a mental health condition.
Method: Data were emergency department and inpatient hospital discharge records from all Arizona licensed hospitals from 2016 to 2021. Records comprised 18,758,614 hospital visits. Cannabis-related visits were defined by International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic codes for cannabis use (unspecified use, abuse, dependence) or poisoning. Mental health visits were defined by ICD diagnostic codes for mental health conditions.
Latest NEWS Commentary
Weed Is Dangerous. Legalizing It Was a Mistake | The Free Press | 3/12/2024
For years, cannabis advocates claimed that legalizing recreational marijuana would benefit America. But more than a decade into the experiment, it’s clear that legalization has been nothing short of a disaster.