WASHINGTON: A man in a hat and glasses lights up, exhaling a large cloud of smoke around him.
In many states, it is already easy to get marijuana. With the Trump administration’s move to reclassify the drug as less dangerous, it is about to get even easier. But doctors and researchers say marijuana can pose real risks to people’s health, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The major concerns for adults are addiction and mental-health problems, particularly anxiety. These risks have become more of an issue in recent years as products with high levels of THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, have become widely available and popular.
Here is what we know about the health risks from marijuana use:
Higher potency
The weed that people smoked in decades past generally had about 3% to 5% THC. Now, many shops sell products that contain as much as 90 percent THC.
Dr Jonathan Avery, vice chair for addiction psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, says he’s seeing more people land in the emergency room after accidentally overdosing on high-potency THC products, particularly edibles, where people can underestimate how much they have taken. “You can feel panicky and paranoid. People come in worried that they’re dying,” he said.
The drug is particularly dangerous for teens: Even low-level use is linked to an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders and doing poorly in school.
With recreational marijuana legal in 24 states and Washington, D.C., driving while high is on the rise, too. In some studies, using cannabis was found to double the risk of crashes.
Addiction and mental health
The cannabis industry is increasingly marketing its products for a range of health issues, including anxiety and depression, pain and sleep problems. Some companies also promote their products for general wellness, akin to a multivitamin. A growing number of people use cannabis every day. Now, more people use cannabis than alcohol daily.
Among people who use marijuana daily, about 20% to 30% will develop cannabis use disorder, Avery said. The disorder is characterized by craving marijuana and being unable to cut down on use. “You need more to get the same effect and you feel off without it,” he said.
While many people use cannabis to cope with anxiety, some scientific studies show that the drug makes anxiety worse. It is associated with increased odds of developing anxiety problems and with more severe symptoms in those with anxiety and mood disorders.
The teenage brain
When it comes to marijuana, doctors and scientists tend to worry most about its impact on the developing brain. Research has found that adolescent cannabis use increases the risk of developing psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety disorders.
Regularly using cannabis during the teen years also is associated with disruption in memory and learning. One study found that frequent cannabis users who started taking it during adolescence lost several IQ points between the ages of 13 and 38.
Even infrequent use among teens is associated with poorer academic performance.
Potential upsides to reclassification
The reclassification will make it easier for researchers to conduct studies with marijuana. It is something the field badly needs, scientists say.
“People are using these products anyway,” said Staci Gruber, director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts. “Wouldn’t it be better for us to be able to give them empirically sound data upon which to base their decisions for use or their decisions not to use?”
