Increasingly, young people today do not consider marijuana use a risky behavior. But there are real risks for people who use marijuana, especially youth and young adults, and women who are pregnant or nursing.
People can and do become addicted to marijuana. Approximately 1 in 10 people who use marijuana will become addicted. When they start before age 18, the rate of addiction rises to 1 in 6. Brain health: Marijuana can cause permanent IQ loss of as much as 8 points when people start using it at a young age. These IQ points do not come back, even after quitting marijuana. Mental health: Studies link marijuana use to depression, anxiety, suicide planning, and psychotic episodes.
It is not known, however, if marijuana use is the cause of these conditions. Athletic Performance: Research shows that marijuana affects timing, movement, and coordination, which can harm athletic performance. Driving: People who drive under the influence of marijuana can experience dangerous effects: slower reactions, lane weaving, decreased coordination, and difficulty reacting to signals and sounds on the road. Daily life: Using marijuana can affect performance and how well people do in life.
Research shows that people who use marijuana are more likely to have relationship problems, worse educational outcomes, lower career achievement, and reduced life satisfaction. Over the past few decades, the amount of THC in marijuana has steadily climbed; today's marijuana has three times the concentration of THC compared to 25 years ago.
The higher the THC amount, the stronger the effects on the brain—likely contributing to increased rates of marijuana-related emergency room visits. While there is no research yet on how higher potency affects the long-term risks of marijuana use, more THC is likely to lead to higher rates of dependency and addiction. Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant.
Marijuana is a psychoactive drug that contains close to chemicals, including THC, a mind-altering compound that causes harmful health effects. Cannabis has not been linked to birth defects, but research suggests that using cannabis regularly during pregnancy could affect a baby's brain development as they get older.
Cannabis contains active ingredients called cannabinoids. This is used to relieve the pain of muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis. Another cannabinoid drug, called Nabilone, is sometimes used to relieve sickness in people having chemotherapy for cancer. Clinical trials are under way to test cannabis-based drugs for other conditions including cancer pain, the eye disease glaucoma , appetite loss in people with HIV or AIDS , and epilepsy in children.
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Mental health and wellbeing. HILL: In , we had two FDA-approved cannabinoids, dronabinol and nabilone, for nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, and for appetite stimulation in wasting conditions. Last year they added cannabidiol — only one version is FDA-approved — and it is for a couple of pediatric epilepsy conditions.
Beyond the FDA-approved indications, the best evidence is for three things: chronic pain, neuropathic pain — which is a burning sensation in your nerves — and muscle spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis.
There are more than six randomized control trials for each of those three conditions. There are problems associated with some of those trials — sample sizes are small and the follow-up periods are not as long as we would like them to be. HILL: Schedule 1 really means two things. Number one, does it have addictive potential? Cannabis does, clearly.
But it also means that there is no medical value. Funding is a bigger barrier. There are permanent crowd-control ropes in the parking lot and a police detail. A lot of people are profiting from cannabis while neglecting to contribute to the scientific evidence base.
HILL: Over 22 million Americans used cannabis last year, and the literature says about 10 percent of those are using medicinally.
I think patients who are interested in cannabinoids should be talking to their own doctors about it, because ideally, their physician should be the one helping them think through the risks and benefits. The number of ED visits has gone up.
I never tried it before. But for a particular dose of pot, we have no clue? HILL: Less of a clue. A typical brownie has milligrams of THC, but a typical serving size is 10 milligrams. Some people will take a bite of an edible and nothing happens, so they take another bite. How acupuncture fights inflammation.
Breakthrough within reach for diabetes scientist and patients nearest to his heart.
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