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
%
Almost 30% of teens have used marijuana - this is TOO many!
Latest Studies
Prenatal Cannabis Use and Maternal Pregnancy Outcomes | JAMA | 7/22/2024
Key Points
Question Is prenatal cannabis use associated with maternal health outcomes during pregnancy?
Findings In this cohort study of 316 722 pregnancies, prenatal cannabis use was associated with increased risk of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, weight gain greater and less than guidelines, and placental abruption as well as reduced risk of gestational diabetes. No association was found with eclampsia, placenta previa, placenta accreta, or severe maternal morbidity.
Meaning The results of this study suggest that the association between prenatal cannabis use and maternal health is complex and there is a need for continued research to understand how prenatal cannabis use affects the health of pregnant individuals.
Changes in self-reported cannabis use in the United States from 1979 to 2022 | Wiley | 6/22/2024
Abstract
Background and aims
Multiple countries are considering revising cannabis policies. This study aimed to measure long-term trends in cannabis use in the United States and compare them with alcohol use.
Design and setting
Secondary analysis of United States general population survey data.
Participants
The national surveys had a total of 1 641 041 participants across 27 surveys from 1979 to 2022.
State Cannabis Legalization and Trends in Cannabis-Related Disorders in US Older Adults, 2017 to 2022 | JAMA | 6/18/2024
An increasing number of US states and territories have enacted laws allowing adult and/or medical use of marijuana (cannabis).1 As expanded access coincides with increased prevalence of medical and nonmedical cannabis use,2 we characterized trends in health care encounters with cannabis-related disorders among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older by state or territory cannabis legal status.
Heavy Lifetime Cannabis Use and Mortality by Sex | JAMA | 6/8/2024
Key Points
Question Is there an association between cannabis use and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality?
Findings In this cohort study of 121 895 participants, in the fully adjusted model among females, the risk for CVD mortality was significantly higher among heavy cannabis users compared with never users; there was no association among males. No association was observed among females or males for all-cause and cancer mortality.
Meaning The findings suggest that heavy cannabis use is associated with CVD mortality among females.
Incident psychotic experiences following self-reported use of high-potency cannabis: Results from a longitudinal cohort study | Wiley Online Library | 5/13/2024
Background and aims
High-potency cannabis has been associated with increased risk of psychosis, but a lack of prospective data hinders understanding of causality in this relationship. This study aimed to combine prospective report of cannabis use with retrospective report of potency to infer the potency of cannabis used in adolescence and explore whether use of cannabis, and the use of high-potency cannabis, in adolescence is associated with incident psychotic experiences.
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.