This blog is a healthcare blog, not a political commentary. But when political decisions go against science, it’s time to speak out. The Trump Administration is reclassifying marijuana to make it easier to obtain for medical uses, but that’s a mistake.
While marijuana has some legitimate uses for treatment of chronic pain conditions, especially in terminal cancer patients, its harmful effects are significant. The problem is that this reclassification move suggests marijuana is less dangerous when research shows it’s actually more dangerous than we ever knew before.
Andrea Petersen, writing in The Wall Street Journal, gives us an update on the current medical research. Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is the main psychoactive component of cannabis. She tells us 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% 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.
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.
It’s even worse for teenagers who smoke marijuana since their brains are not fully developed. 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.
The only benefit to reclassification is that researchers will find it easier to conduct studies with marijuana. That seems like a poor excuse for making a dangerous substance more available to the general public. We wouldn’t reclassify heroine just to make it easier to do research, would we?
