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Today’s Marijuana Is Much More Dangerous, and That’s Leading to Addiction and Psychotic Episodes

AHA Publisher — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 07:22:24 +0000

News Staff CBN News – Today’s marijuana is nothing like the pot used by previous generations. It’s much, much stronger. Decades ago the THC content was three percent. Today it’s anywhere from 15 to 30 percent. A recent study in a major medical journal found high potency marijuana is linked to a greater risk of addiction. The detailed research paper by mental health experts also warns about those higher concentrations of THC and the chemical’s terrible impact on the mind, including depression, anxiety, addiction, and more. The authors explained that people who used cannabis with higher THC levels were more likely to have a “psychotic episode.” On this week’s Healthy Living program, CBN News Medical Reporter Lorie Johnson talked to a young man who not only became addicted to marijuana but also suffered from cannabis-induced psychosis. Zach Plant told Healthy Living how using cannabis gave him a mental disorder. “In my experience, cannabis-induced psychosis is something that happened for me from smoking way too much marijuana,” he said. “And it triggered my brain to go into a mode where I was very manic, I had very manic thinking and a lot of paranoid thinking in a short amount of time.” During the interview, Plant said this paranoid thinking included fears of others trying to attack him. “Whenever I was induced psychosis by cannabis, I had thoughts of other people wanting to hurt me,” Plant told CBN News. “Thoughts of the only way of being safe was to end my own life. It went very quickly to suicidal thinking.” He recalled that he even operated a vehicle while under the effects of cannabis and was in total blackout mentally. “I don’t remember getting to where I needed to go, but somehow just ending up there,” Plant said. “I do have brief memories of swerving on the road and things like that. It’s really just a miracle that I’m still alive after an experience like that.” The young man explained his cannabis tolerance became so high that he would have to smoke more to feel its effects for 30 minutes to an hour. “At first, I would smoke one time and the effects would last for several hours,” Plant said. “My tolerance had been so high at that point, I was ingesting a lot more.” This led to a manic episode. “My manic episode was thinking that I had all the answers for what was wrong in the world,” he said. As several U.S. states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, drug-related issues have risen. Arkansas voters will decide on the question on Nov. 8 after the state Supreme Court ruled Issue 4, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative could appear on the ballot. David Cox, assistant director of the Arkansas-based Family Council told American Family News (AFN) that voters need to look at the problems caused by cannabis use that several of those other states are just now finding out about. “For example … in Oregon legalization of marijuana hasn’t weakened the drug cartels, but it has actually emboldened them,” he said. “In other states, we see youth marijuana use and youth drug use increase with legalization.” Cox also noted that the social cost to the local community is too high to support the legalized retail sales of cannabis. “If you start selling marijuana retail in a community, obviously you see drug use increase – and so there is a social cost here that we feel is just too high. That is one of the reasons why we oppose the legalization of marijuana.” Others who support the legalization of pot argue it will bring in more revenue to the Natural State through sales taxes. But Cox argues it’s not as much in revenue as people think due to the low amount of taxes that will be levied on marijuana due to Issue 4. “So, a lot of people may think that ‘hey, we’ll legalize marijuana in Arkansas, it will bring this windfall to the state, we’ll get all this tax revenue,'” he told AFN. “The reality is the taxes in this amendment are very low and your elected officials will not be able to raise those taxes without having to actually change the state constitution.” As CBN News reported in November of 2018 when Massachusetts became the first state on the U.S. East Coast to legalize marijuana and begin commercial sales, the legalization of the drug comes at a cost. A report released ahead of Massachusetts’ action outlined economic and social effects in the wake of marijuana legalization in Colorado. The findings by the Colorado Christian University’s (CCU) Centennial Institute are pretty stark: For every dollar gained in tax revenue, Coloradans spent roughly $4.50 to mitigate the adverse effects of legalization. The largest costs of legalizing the drug are related to the health care system and high school dropouts. Calls to poison control have increased dramatically since legalization. Long-term use can lead to reduced cognitive ability. Jeff Hunt serves as vice president of public policy at CCU and director of the Centennial Institute. He said the report is an important first step in “giving researchers and policymakers a sense of the breadth of costs associated with commercial marijuana.” To read the original article click here.

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High-Strength Cannabis Linked to Addiction and Mental Health Problems

AHA Publisher — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 07:00:57 +0000

University of Bath via Newswise – As the strength or potency of cannabis products has increased internationally over the years, so have rates of people being treated for cannabis addiction, say the authors of a new study. Researchers from the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath (UK) systematically analysed the relationship between the types of cannabis people use and their addiction and mental health problems. Their work draws on 20 studies involving almost 120,000 people. After alcohol and nicotine, cannabis is the most widely used drug globally. Latest estimates from the UK suggest that over the last year around one in five 16-24 year olds had used cannabis. Cannabis potency refers to the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in cannabis – the key psychoactive drug it contains. Recent studies from the same team at Bath have found that the concentration of THC in cannabis has increased significantly over time meaning that cannabis used today is typically much stronger than previously. The new study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, suggests that people who use high potency cannabis are more likely to experience addiction than those using low potency products. It also suggests that people using high potency cannabis are more likely to experience a psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia. These findings may help to explain why more people have received treatment for cannabis problems over recent years. Data from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction show a 76% increase in people entering treatment for cannabis addiction in the past decade. Based on these new results, the authors argue that public health guidelines and policies to help make cannabis use safer should be encouraged. Lead author, Kat Petrilli from the University of Bath’s Department of Psychology explained: “Our systematic review found that people who use higher potency cannabis could be at increased risks of addiction as well as psychosis when compared to people who use cannabis products with lower potencies. “These results are important in the context of harm reduction which aims to minimise the negative consequences associated with drug use. While the safest level of use for cannabis is of course ‘no use’, it is important to acknowledge that a significant number of people across the world use cannabis regularly and to ensure they can make informed decisions that could reduce any possible harms associated with it.” The authors point out that strategies to make cannabis use safer could inform how the drug is regulated in the UK and internationally. Recreational cannabis use remains illegal in the UK, but cannabis products are now legally sold for recreational use in Canada, Uruguay, and parts of the USA. Several other countries appear set to follow this trend, including Germany. In the UK, the Liberal Democrats have argued that a legal regulated market could make cannabis use safer by enforcing a limit on the potency of cannabis products, and investing the revenue and savings from this into education and treatment for cannabis problems. Senior author, Dr Tom Freeman explained: “Our findings suggest that people who use cannabis could reduce their risk of harm by using lower potency products. In places where cannabis is legally sold, providing consumers with accurate information on product content and access to lower potency products could help people to use cannabis more safely.” Despite anecdotal evidence of links between cannabis and anxiety and depression, the authors note that the links between cannabis potency and other mental health problems are unclear. This research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. To read the original article click here.

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Study looks at Lung Injury and Vaping THC and Vitamin E Acetate

AHA Publisher — Sun, 15 Mar 2020 07:00:39 +0000

Dr. Liji Thomas, MD via News-Medical Net – The US has witnessed a spate of patients presenting with acute lung injury associated with e-cigarettes or vaping product use. A new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine shows the pattern of the outbreak in California where recreational cannabis use is legal and which has among the maximum cases of the strange illness. Vaping is the practice of using electronic or e-cigarettes, which has exploded into prominence among the younger generation in the US. The basic principle is the heating of the liquid within the device’s canister to produce an aerosol that is then inhaled. The fluids may contain one or more of a variety of ingredients, including nicotine, various cannabis constituents, flavorings, and other chemicals. The chief danger of vaping is the lack of regulation.From August 2019 to date, over 2,700 patients have been reported with e-cigarette, or vaping, associated lung injury (EVALI) in all the states of the US. The Study The investigators used data on 160 patients admitted in hospital with EVALI between August 7 and November 8, 2019. The patient data came from treating doctors who reported them to the local health department, which in turn transmitted the information to the California Department of Public Health. The data included epidemiologic and laboratory data on the patients, who underwent interviews based on a standard format. The questions assessed the types of vaping products used, how often they were used, and how the patients acquired them. The vaping products provided for investigation by some of the patients also underwent testing for active ingredients. The Results The investigators found that among 160 patients with EVALI of whom approximately 60% were male, with a median age of 27 years, about half received intensive care, and a little less than a third had to be put on mechanical ventilation. Four of them died in hospital. Of the 160 patients, 86 were subject to interview. Among this group, 83% said they vaped products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the psychoactive component of cannabis. 43% had vaped products containing cannabidiol (CBD), another principal constituent of the same plant. 47% had vaped products containing nicotine. Of the 87 products that showed only the presence of THC, over 90% were prefilled cartridges but only 48% of nicotine-only cartridges. Where did they get the products from? 75% of them had got their THC-containing vaping products from friends, unlicensed vendors, and other informal sources. 87 vaping products tested were obtained from only 24 of the 160 patients. The results showed that 56% had THC. 84% of this subset had vitamin E or vitamin E acetate, but none of the nicotine-containing subset. Flavorings were added to 56% and 76% of the THC- and nicotine-containing products, respectively. The median period from the last use of the vaping product to the onset of EVALI symptoms and hospital admission was 3 and 5 days, respectively. About 40% had smoked or were smoking conventional cigarettes as well. Common symptoms included cough, shortness of breath, and fever with chills, besides one or more gut symptoms. Laboratory criteria of intense inflammation were present. Implications The pattern of use of vaping product by type, as well as the clinical features of the patients, were broadly similar to the overall trends seen in other US states. It is noteworthy that though California permits the recreational use of cannabis by adults, most of the THC-containing products came from informal sources. The authors emphasize, “These findings underscore the importance for all clinicians, including outpatient health care providers, to consider EVALI in patients with a history of vaping who present with typical findings of infection, as well as monitor their clinical course and respiratory status closely for decompensation, in accordance with CDC guidance.” Secondly, more female than male patients seemed to require ICU admission, suggesting that females fare worse on exposure to tobacco smoke and other environmental toxins. Thirdly, depression, and anxiety are the most common illnesses found in patients with EVALI in California, which could indicate that such patients vape at higher rates or that such patients are at higher risk of EVALI. Again, vitamin E or vitamin E acetate proved to be present in most products containing THC. The study concludes, “The California Department of Public Health recommends that individuals refrain from using any vaping or e-cigarette products, particularly THC-containing products from informal sources, while this investigation is ongoing.” To read the original article click here.

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CBD, THC Use During Early Pregnancy Can Disrupt Fetal Development

AHA Publisher — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 08:00:13 +0000

University of North Carolina School of Medicine via Newswise – UNC School of Medicine researchers are the first to show in animal models that components of marijuana, including its cannabinoids THC and CBD, can cause brain and facial birth defects if used during the first trimester of pregnancy. Newswise — CHAPEL HILL, NC – A new study published in Scientific Reports, a Nature Research journal, shows how a one-time exposure during early pregnancy to cannabinoids (CBs) – both synthetic and natural – can cause growth issues in a developing embryo. This is the first research to show such a connection in mammals. The study was performed in mice, which are very accurate models for the development that occurs during early pregnancy, according to the study’s senior author, Scott Parnell, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology and physiology in the UNC School of Medicine. “The development of the embryo in this time period is very similar across all vertebrates,” said Parnell, a member of the UNC Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies. “In this study we also test a synthetic cannabinoid in zebrafish that yielded similar growth deformations as the natural CBs. Having the same results across animal models reinforces our findings.” In this study, the brain and facial developmental effects caused by one-time exposure to CBs – CBD and THC (the primary ingredients of marijuana) – are very similar to what is seen in fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Parnell and colleagues also found that when CBs and alcohol were used together, the likelihood of these birth defects more than doubled. They went on to show that these drugs may be causing defects by interacting on a basic cellular level and disrupting signaling between molecules and cells that control growth and development. “The interaction between alcohol and CBs we witnessed is very concerning,” said the study’s first author, Eric Fish, PhD, research associate in the UNC School of Medicine Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies. “Previous studies have shown that CBs and alcohol are frequently used together, and for pregnant women we’re learning that could be very dangerous to a developing child.” In the study CBs, and CBs with alcohol, were given in varying amounts on day eight of pregnancy, which is comparable to the third and fourth weeks of pregnancy in humans. This time period is when alcohol and CB exposure is especially damaging to a developing embryo, and is before some women know they are pregnant. The CBD amounts administered were within what is considered a therapeutic range for humans. The THC concentration administered was similar to levels reached by a person smoking marijuana. “It is concerning how little we know about the use of marijuana, its CBs, and products like CBD oil during pregnancy,” Parnell said. “We know that there is no safe period to drink alcohol during a pregnancy, and I think this research shows the same is likely true of marijuana use.” With the results of these one-time exposures, Parnell and Fish are planning to now test smaller, multiple exposures throughout a pregnancy that better mimics real-life usage in human pregnancy. To read the original article click here.

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