Pain and anxiety are among the leading reasons why many people seek a Medical Marijuana Card. But is it effective? A new study released in JAMA (03-18-22), by authors Gilman, J. (et.al), suggests getting a medical marijuana card is potentially a faster track to developing a Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD).[Read More…]
Public Health and Safety
Driving After Marijuana Use? – Impairment Can Last For Hours
“I’m okay to drive.” But, in reality are you and how do you know for sure? A new report in JAMA Psychiatry (January 26, 2022) examines a person self-perception of feeling high after using marijuana. Authors Marcotte (et.al.) point out that the impairment felt after using marijuana can last for hours,[Read More…]
Marijuana Use During Pregnancy – Increased Risks to Newborns
Some people believe that using marijuana during a pregnancy represents little to no risk to the unborn child, which is not the case. Authors of a new meta-analysis report (G. Marchand et.al) noted that marijuana use, during a pregnancy, has increased health risks to the unborn child. Risks such as[Read More…]
Ontario Canada: Pediatric Cannabis Exposure Cases On The Rise
Pediatric cannabis exposures have increased by nearly 300 percent in Ontario Canada since 2016. Canada legalized marijuana (raw flower only) in 2018. This was expanded in 2020 to include sales of cannabis infused edible products. In turn, Emergency Department (ED) health care providers in Ontario have seen an increase in child[Read More…]
Fatal Crashes: Marijuana’s involvement doubles from 2000 – 2018
The rate of fatal motor vehicle crashes, involving only marijuana or marijuana with alcohol has doubled from 2000 to 2018. During this same time, many states legalized marijuana, first for medical use and later for commercial adult use. In a recent peer reviewed study published in the American Journal of[Read More…]
Cannabis and Pregnancy: Effects on Woman’s Health
In the October 11th, 2021 edition of Contemporary OB/GYN, authors (Lo, Hanna & Hedges) offer guidance to medical providers working with women who use marijuana and specific concerns for those patients that are perinatal or prenatal. The authors cite concerns over the increased levels of THC potency in recent years.[Read More…]
THC Levels in Med & Rec States: Pain Management
Pain is the leading reason cited why people use medical marijuana in the United States. Marijuana with low potency levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), i.e. under 5-10%, has shown some efficacy in pain management. However, that’s in stark contrast to the advertised high THC potency levels of marijuana products sold both[Read More…]
Drugged Driving: A New Report
In America, every 52 minutes a person dies in an alcohol-related collision. When a driver has a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .08, they have a nearly 4 times greater crash risk. Many people falsely believe that driving after using marijuana is less impairing than after drinking alcohol. In Colorado,[Read More…]
Cannabis Use Disorder in Schizophrenia Cases: Increased Risk
JAMA Psychiatry just released a new longitudinal study from Denmark regarding the association of between a diagnosis of a cannabis use disorder (CUD) and a diagnosis of Schizophrenia in patients. The nationwide study, “Development Over Time of the Population-Attributable Risk Fraction for Cannabis Use Disorder in Schizophrenia in Denmark” (C.[Read More…]
Marijuana & Risk: A new study on perceptions
An analysis of national data by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, “Joint perceptions of the risk and availability of Cannabis in the United States, 2002-2018” (Levy et.al.) examines the influence that the perception of risk has upon the use rates of cannabis. Using national survey results from over[Read More…]