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 association between physical availability of cannabis retail outlets and frequent cannabis use and related health harms: a systematic review | PubMed | 3/06/2024
Summary
An increasing number of regions have or are considering legalising the sale of cannabis for adult use. Experience from tobacco and alcohol regulation has found that greater access to physical retail stores is positively associated with increased substance use and harm. Whether this association exists for cannabis is unclear. We completed a systematic review examining the association between cannabis retail store access and adverse health outcomes. …Among the included analyses, there were consistent positive associations between greater cannabis retail access and 1) increased healthcare service use or poison control calls directly due to cannabis (10/12 analyses; 83%) (2) increased cannabis use and cannabis-related hospitalization during pregnancy (4/4; 100%) and 3) frequent cannabis use in adults and young adults (7/11; 64%). There was no consistent positive association between greater cannabis retail and increased frequent cannabis use in adolescents (1/4; 25%), healthcare service use potentially related to cannabis (2/6; 33%) or increased adverse neonatal birth outcomes (2/7; 26.8%). There is a positive association between greater cannabis store access and increases in cannabis harm. In countries with legal cannabis, retail restrictions may reduce use and harm.
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Association of Cannabis Use With Cardiovascular Outcomes Among US Adults | JAHA | 2/28/2024
Abstract
Background
We examined the association between cannabis use and cardiovascular outcomes among the general population, among never‐tobacco smokers, and among younger individuals.
Methods and Results
This is a population‐based, cross‐sectional study of 2016 to 2020 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey from 27 American states and 2 territories. We assessed the association of cannabis use (number of days of cannabis use in the past 30 days) with self‐reported cardiovascular outcomes (coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, and a composite measure of all 3) in multivariable regression models, adjusting for tobacco use and other characteristics in adults 18 to 74 years old. We repeated this analysis among nontobacco smokers, and among men <55 years old and women <65 years old who are at risk of premature cardiovascular disease. Among the 434 104 respondents, the prevalence of daily and nondaily cannabis use was 4% and 7.1%, respectively. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for the association of daily cannabis use and coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, and the composite outcome (coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke) was 1.16 (95% CI, 0.98–1.38), 1.25 (95% CI, 1.07–1.46), 1.42 (95% CI, 1.20–1.68), and 1.28 (95% CI, 1.13–1.44), respectively, with proportionally lower log odds for days of use between 0 and 30 days per month. Among never‐tobacco smokers, daily cannabis use was also associated with myocardial infarction (aOR, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.03–2.15]), stroke (aOR, 2.16 [95% CI, 1.43–3.25]), and the composite of coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke (aOR, 1.77 [95% CI, 1.31–2.40]). Relationships between cannabis use and cardiovascular outcomes were similar for men <55 years old and women <65 years old.
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Development of an anxiety disorder following an emergency department visit due to cannabis use: a population-based cohort study | eClinicalMedicine | 2/5/2024
Background
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Cannabis and Driving in Older Adults | JAMA | 1/18/2024
Key Points
Question What is the association between retail cannabis available to the consumer, driving, and associated blood tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels in people over 65 years of age?
Findings In this cohort study, 31 regular users of cannabis aged 65 to 79 years chose on average high potency (18.74% THC) THC-dominant cannabis. Weaving was increased and speed was decreased at 30 minutes after smoking, which was not correlated with blood THC concentrations; subjective experience and self-reports of impaired driving persisted for 3 hours.
Meaning These findings suggest that older drivers, even if they regularly use cannabis, show evidence of impaired driving performance after smoking cannabis.
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Cannabis Exposure and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Related to Placental Function | JAMA | 12/12/2023
Key Points
Question Is maternal cannabis exposure associated with increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes related to placental function?
Findings In a multicenter observational cohort, a composite adverse pregnancy outcome (small-for-gestational-age birth, medically indicated preterm birth, stillbirth, or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy) was more frequent in pregnant individuals with cannabis exposure ascertained by a urine drug assay (25.9%; n = 610) compared with unexposed individuals (17.4%; n = 8647). The risk for an adverse outcome was higher among those who continued to use cannabis beyond the first trimester.
Meaning Cannabis use should be avoided during pregnancy to optimize maternal and neonatal outcomes.
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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.
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From 18 year-old who shot his girlfriend’s baby while high on marijuana to stoned babysitter who let TWO toddlers drown: we reveal how cannabis has led to nearly 300 brutal child deaths | Daily Mail | 11/28/2023
At least 290 American children have suffered brutal, preventable deaths linked to marijuana over the last decade, according to an analysis seen exclusively by DailyMail.com.