Recreational Cannabis Archives

Legalizing Medical and Recreational Cannabis May Decrease Adolescent Use

April 21, 2020 Adolescents, Behavior change, Law, Medical Cannabis, Recreational Cannabis

Association of marijuana laws with teen marijuana use- new estimates from the youth risk behavior surveys

In summary

Earlier this July a letter was published providing evidence that adolescent cannabis use may actually decrease post-legalization of medical and recreational cannabis. An analysis of Youth Risk Behavioral Surveys from the past two decades revealed that legalizing medical cannabis had little to no effect on cannabis use among adolescents in 8th and 10th grade but that legalization of recreational cannabis actually led to an overall decrease of adolescent cannabis use across the states. The authors hypothesize that the rate of adolescent use may decrease as illegal drug dealers are replaced by legal, regulated dispensaries. This evidence may prove compelling for the possible rescheduling of cannabis under the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Adolescent substance use, like that of alcohol, has been found to be detrimental to brain development. There have been varying results regarding the effects of adolescent cannabis use on brain development yet some caretakers are given special permission to administer cannabis-based products to children experiencing rare forms of epilepsy or other seizure disorders. Cannabis-based medications may be a more ethical and far less dangerous substance to administer to children so that they aren’t set up for a substance use disorder at a young age. Research focussed on adolescent cannabis use needs to be conducted for better regulations and to better advise the parents and pediatricians of adolescents who have accidentally consumed cannabis or need a cannabis-based medical intervention.

The study is available for review or download here

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Patients with Epilepsy are Seeking out Recreational Cannabis

March 17, 2020 Epilepsy, Recreational Cannabis

Marijuana use among patients with epilepsy at a tertiary care center

In Summary

A recent study has revealed that patients diagnosed with epilepsy in Oregon are self-medicating with recreational cannabis. Researchers analyzed voluntary survey results from an epilepsy clinic and found that those who found cannabis very effective or just effective for treating their epilepsy symptoms most frequently sought out cannabis from recreational and medical facilities. Although Edioplex® is a cannabidiol (CBD) based product that is federally approved its availability is extremely limited. Most patients from the clinic reported utilizing strains or products high in CBD and were frequently unable to report exact doses, with only two reporting the number of milligrams utilized on a daily basis.

This article highlights the dangers of consuming cannabis that has little to no regulation. Although patients from the clinic most frequently obtained cannabis products from recreational and medical dispensaries, some obtained their cannabis from home-growers and friends. Regulations for dispensaries are already limited as they are state-governed programs and there are frequently inconsistencies across state lines. Home-growers and friends who have access are not facing any sort of regulation and likely provide inconsistent and possibly dangerous products. Those seeking medical cannabis products need to be able to access regulated dispensaries selling reliable products.

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The impact of cannabis on surgical patients is uncertain

February 15, 2020 Recreational Cannabis, Surgery

The impact of recreational cannabinoids on peri-operative outcomes

In Summary

A recent op-ed from a plastic surgeon discusses the uncertainty of how recreational cannabis effects peri-operative outcomes. Recreational cannabis does not always follow the same standardization requirements as medical cannabis depending on state laws. Multiple studies have reported their findings from patients who have reported using cannabis before their surgery but as peri-operative screening for cannabis is not routine and stigma prevents many from self-reporting, data is uncertain. Cannabis has been shown to affect anesthesia, post-operative hemostasis, drug metabolism, and pain control. Further research is needed to provide definitive evidence for the exact effect of cannabis on peri-operative outcomes.

This study highlights the need for inclusion of self-reported cannabis use on national databases so larger studies are able to analyze the impact of cannabis on surgical outcomes, but also general patient outcomes. The stigma surrounding recreational cannabis use should be removed, not necessarily for legalization, but to provide researchers an way around national legalization. Allowing naturalistic studies where statisticians can find trends among recreational cannabis use and healthcare would provide a cost-efficient way to support research without federal funding. Removing stigma will help provide researchers the tools to further our knowledge so that we can better treat those using cannabis.

The study is available for review or download here

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