The prenatal exposure of cannabis products to a developing fetus is shown to be associated to higher rates of early onset of cannabis use as a teen, as well as elevated rates of mood disorders. These were some of the findings released in JAMA Pediatrics on June 26, 2023 from authors[Read More…]
Public Health and Safety
When “ACEs” Are Not A Winning Hand: Kids and Cannabis
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) for kids under 12 increase the risk of persistent cannabis use later in life by three-fold. ACEs, for children, are incidents of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, bullying, parental substance use or abuse, violence between parents, parental mental health problems or suicide, parental[Read More…]
Casual Cannabis Use in Teens & Adverse Mental Outcomes
Currently there is a great deal of recent research supporting the elevated risk of adverse mental and behavioral outcomes in teenagers, diagnosed with a Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD), from chronic marijuana use. But what are the risks for the casual (“nondisordered”) teenage marijuana user that does not have a CUD?[Read More…]
Marijuana and teens: Increased risks for suicidal behaviors from use
Compared to non-users, adolescents (ages 12-17) who use marijuana, have increased risks of suicidal ideation, planning and attempts. These findings also held true for adolescents diagnosed with a cannabis use disorder (CUD) according to research released in Frontiers in Psychiatry (January 5, 2023). This study examined responses by nearly 74,000[Read More…]
Legal Cannabis Sales and Car Crashes: Injury and Fatal Crash Rates Increase
The legalization and sale of marijuana for adult use is linked to increased risks of both injury and fatal car crashes. These were the finding of researchers seeking to gain insight into marijuana’s legalization and its impacts on traffic safety, released in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs[Read More…]
Marijuana edibles linked to increased poison center calls for kids
Nationally, calls to poison control centers due to children, under age six, eating marijuana edibles increased by over 6-fold from 2017 to 2021. Three years was the median age for these marijuana edible exposure calls. Two-year olds were the largest group, accounting over 25 percent of all pediatric edible exposure[Read More…]
Marijuana: A Leading Drug in Emergency Room Visits
Marijuana was identified as being among the top five drugs associated to drug-related Emergency Department (ED) visits in 2021. The top five drugs identified in this report were alcohol, opioids, methamphetamine, marijuana, and cocaine. In cases where more than one drug was involved, marijuana again was identified in the top[Read More…]
Increased THC Detection In Injured Drivers: British Columbia
Since Canada legalized marijuana in 2018, injured drivers in British Columbia testing positive for THC have increased by 126%. This study, released in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported increases of detected THC blood levels in injured drivers when compared to pre-legalization data. The greatest post-legalization THC levels increases[Read More…]
Buying Hemp Derived Topical Products? Buyer Beware
When purchasing hemp derived topical products, the adage of “Let the buyer beware” could have new meaning. Are you really getting what you’re paying for? Can you trust the label? A recent study suggests you can’t. A new study in JAMA Network Open (July 2022) examines the accuracy of cannabinoid[Read More…]
Early age of initiation: Greater risks of adverse mental outcomes
Of those who use marijuana, only a small population will develop adverse mental health outcomes such as psychotic experiences (e.g., delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, etc.). The age of first use has been associated to increased risks of these experiences. This study published in Scientific Reports (May 2022) applies a network approach[Read More…]