The good, bad and unknown about marijuana’s health effects
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Marijuana grew at a medical marijuana cultivation center in Albion, Ill. in Sept. 2015. In a report released, Wednesday, by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, the federal advisory panel took a comprehensive look at what’s known about the benefits and harms of marijuana and is calling for a national effort to learn more about the drug.
NEW YORK >> It can almost certainly ease chronic pain and might help some people sleep, but it’s also likely to raise the risk of getting schizophrenia and might trigger heart attacks.
Those are among the conclusions about marijuana reached by a federal advisory panel in a report released today.
The experts also called for a national effort to learn more about marijuana and its chemical cousins, including similarly acting compounds called cannabinoids.
The current lack of scientific information “poses a public health risk,” said the report , released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Patients, health care professionals and policy makers need more evidence to make sound decisions, it said.
Several factors have limited research. While the federal government has approved some medicines containing ingredients found in marijuana, it still classifies marijuana as illegal and imposes restrictions on research. So scientists have to jump through bureaucratic hoops that some find daunting, the report said.
A federal focus on paying for studies of potential harms has also impeded research into possible health benefits, the report said. The range of marijuana products available for study has also been restricted, although the government is expanding the number of approved suppliers.
Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for a variety of medical uses, and eight of those states plus the district have also legalized it for recreational use.
The report lists nearly 100 conclusions about marijuana and its similarly acting chemical cousins, drawing on studies published since 1999.
It found strong evidence, for example, that marijuana can treat chronic pain in adults and that similar compounds ease nausea from chemotherapy, with varying degrees of evidence for treating muscle stiffness and spasms in multiple sclerosis.
Limited evidence says marijuana or the other compounds can boost appetite in people with HIV or AIDS, and ease symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, the report concluded. But it said there’s not enough research to say whether they’re effective for treating cancers, irritable bowel syndrome, epilepsy, or certain symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, or helping people beat addictions.
There may be more evidence soon: a study in Colorado is investigating the use of marijuana to treat PTSD.
Turning to potential harms, the committee concluded:
— Strong evidence links marijuana use to the risk of developing schizophrenia and other causes of psychosis, with the highest risk among the most frequent users.
— Some evidence suggests a small increased risk for developing depressive disorders, but there’s no evidence either way on whether it affects the course or symptoms of such disorders, or the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder.
— There’s strong evidence that using marijuana increases the risk of a traffic accident, but no clear indication that it promotes workplace accidents or injuries, or death from a marijuana overdose.
— There’s only weak evidence for the idea that it hurts school achievement, raises unemployment rates or harms social functioning.
— For pregnant women who smoke pot, there’s strong evidence of reduced birthweight but only weak evidence of any effect on pregnancy complications for the mother, or an infant’s need for admission to intensive care. There’s not enough evidence to show whether it affects the child later, like sudden infant death syndrome or substance use.
— Some evidence suggests there’s no link to lung cancer in marijuana smokers. But there’s no evidence, or insufficient evidence, to support or rebut any link to developing cancers of the prostate, cervix, bladder, or esophagus.
— Substantial evidence links pot smoking to worse respiratory symptoms and more frequent episodes of chronic bronchitis.
— There’s weak evidence that suggests smoking marijuana can trigger a heart attack, especially for people at high risk of heart disease. But there’s no evidence either way on whether chronic use affects a person’s risk of a heart attack.
—Some evidence suggests a link between using marijuana and developing a dependence on or abuse of other substances, including alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs.
17 responses to “The good, bad and unknown about marijuana’s health effects”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Too yellow, need more nitrogen fertilizer or just some good chicken doots!
Marijuana is more benign than alcohol, which is BETTER statement of fact. Do any simple motor skill tests and almost everybody will perform better under the influence of marijuana versus alcohol. alcohol also make you STUPID versus marijuana making you mellow, less motivated, but has less effect on the mind !!
My friend has just been told he has stage 5 lung cancer. He has never smoked anything but marijuana his whole life. But he has increased his use of the drug since getting a RX for it several years ago and now what he thought was a bad cold has turned into a devastating discovery.
Perhaps in some cases the the good benefits of marijuana outweighs the bad but in his case that wasn’t true.
And so I stand on my soapbox and warn law makers and supporters of recreational legalization wait until all research is completed or you could be sentencing someone to death.
There just isn’t enough information to allow it for recreational use. For real medical use where there are proven benefits, yes.
There’s tons of evidence over decades embedded in the general population. There for the asking if done right.
This U.S. federal advisory panel should just look across the border to Canada for more facts. Recreational marijuana smoking has been legal nationally in Canada for years so there should be a mountain of results available just for the asking.
IRT Butinski, yet marijuana remains a Schedule I drug in the United States. Maybe some smells across North and South of the United States borders.
Interesting how the words “may” and “some evidence” etc. are used in this article. I’d like to see a similar list of the pros and cons of alcohol consumption. And as we all know, of course, alcohol happens to be legal.
Try as they might after all these decades of Nixon’s War On Drugs and Reagan’s “Just Say No”, they still can’t close the deal. Free the weed!
can the anti gmo people use their same argument against cannabis?
or will they say cannabis despite what the article says is safe. at least gmos have been approved by fda to be safe and do not pose a health risk.
Yes, thank you. I read the article in todays paper regarding the GMO’s and Pesticides being used which have been ruled to be 99% safe from “minimal health standards”
Somebody PLEAE tell these paranoid anti-GMO people how the misinformation and social media has blown this completely out of the water.
So tired of these special interest groups wallowing in their fears and creating hysteria of issues which do not exist.
Cigarettes killed my parents. Why doesn’t the federal government ban cigarettes?? How many test were done that shows cigarette smoking Is hazardous to your health??
Ray, seldom EVER is there 1 component of an issue responsible for the effect of the whole.
For example, I am sincerely sorry your parents died, but, I hardly would agree that it was purely cigarettes that killed them. It may have added to the issue, but, need I digress?
The overall side effects of most pharmaceutical drugs can be much worse than Cannabis. I think it’s a no-brainer to legalize it for both medical & recreational usage (adults only for recreational purposes). Then tax it heavily to boost State revenues. Additionally, legalization of Cannabis will adversely affect the Mexican cartels that are making billions of $$$ on illegal trade of Cannabis.
Again, thank you. The Pharma’s have concocted so much misinformation regarding health issues that create a paranoia of most of the population into believing we need their drugs.
I do not take flu shots, any type of prescription drugs or even visit a doctor unless its for broken bones or something that needs a medical procedure.
Again, it’s all about the money.
A recent study chronicles three distinct symptoms of marijuana usage. First is loss of memory, and I forget the other two.
I think you are looking for…………wait….what was the question?