Date: January 22, 2021 The December 1st, 2020 edition of JAMA (Vol. 324, No. 21) released the results of a study into impaired driving from the Netherlands titled, “Effect of Cannabidiol and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol on Driving Performance” by T. Arkell (et.al.). The near year-long study examined the effects of vaporized cannabis[Read More…]
Public Health and Safety
Marijuana Use and Older Adults
January 19, 2021 With the advent of the legalization of marijuana by some U.S. states, there has been a noted increase in use rates in recent years. One subgroup that has received attention is the use rates in older adults, ages 60 and older. The Journal of the American Geriatrics[Read More…]
Substance Use and COVID Outcome Risks
Psychiatry Online released a study on November 3rd, 2020 concerning the negative impacts that substance use disorders (SUD) has on adults that have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The authors (Baillargeon, J. et.al.) provide information on over 54,000 COVID-19 patients as it relates to the outcomes of (1) hospitalization, (2) ventilator[Read More…]
Cannabis use disorders among people who use cannabis: Potential Risks
Read Time: <10 minutes Date: November 5, 2020 The journal “Addictive Behaviors” (109, (2020), 106479, May 2020) released a study, “What is the prevalence and risk of cannabis use disorders among people who use cannabis? A systematic review and meta-analysis” by authors J. Leung (et.al.). The recent meta-analysis sought to[Read More…]
Substance Use Disorders and Increased Risks from COVID-19
September 24, 2020 According to a recent study (Wang, Kaelber, Xu and Volkow) published in Molecular Psychiatry, nearly 11 percent of the U.S. population has a substance use disorder (SUD). Additionally, those individuals with a current SUD are at increased risks for COVID-19 as well as its adverse outcomes. This study examined[Read More…]
Marijuana Most Common Drug Detected in Workplace Testing
Date: August 25, 2020 Read time: 5 Minutes Quest Diagnostics, a leader in workplace drug testing, reported that positive drug tests reached a 16-year high in 2019. Notable increases were seen in positive test results for cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. Marijuana continues to be the most commonly detected drug in[Read More…]
Smoking, Vaping and COVID Risk Factors
Association Between Youth Smoking, Electronic Cigarette Use, and Coronavirus Disease 2019 In July 2020, researchers from Stanford University (Gaiha, Cheng, et.al.) published the results of a study of over 4,300 people (youth to young adults) in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The study examined the association between the use of[Read More…]
THC Concentration in Colorado Marijuana: Public Health Concerns
The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) just released a report focused on examining THC concentrations in Colorado and the implications to public health. Contained in this report is a primer on marijuana in Colorado and the evolution of THC concentration levels of products available in the open[Read More…]
Drug-Free Communities Program, A National Evaluation
Marijuana still remains of concern when addressing youth use, access and health impacts. To help bridge that gap the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) program, a federally funded drug prevention and education program since 1997, focuses on reducing substance use in both youths and adults. The DFC program just released their annual[Read More…]
CADCA’s Practical Theorist 12: Cannabis, The Current State of Affairs
The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) has just issued the twelfth edition in their ongoing educational “Practical Theorist” series. The “Practical Theorist 12” focuses on the current state of marijuana in America. This document provides the reader a wide range of information on a variety of topics with findings based[Read More…]