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Category: Public Health and Safety

Cannabis Use and Elevated Cardiac Risk

Cannabis using consumers, when compared to a non-cannabis population, are at an elevated risk factor for adverse cardiac events such as heart attacks (MI), strokes, tachycardia, and heart failure. The odds ratio of having a Myocardial Infarction (MI) for cannabis consumers was 6 times greater than that of an individual that does not consume cannabis.  […]

Cannabis & Driving: You Feel Different – You Drive Different

Results of a recent highway safety study involving cannabis revealed that the majority of those who use cannabis elect to drive that same day, even when use was as recent as 60 minutes (or less) prior to the act of driving. Cannabis use in America has outpaced alcohol consumption in recent years, it impacts to […]

Cannabis Use: Impairs Both Memory & Brain Function

“Evidence supported that both recent and heavy lifetime cannabis use were associated with diminished brain activation and cognitive performance during working memory.” These are the findings of a recent study released in the January 28, 2025, edition of JAMA Network Open, (Gowin, J. et. al.). This study examined data for over 1000 adults, ages 22 […]

Legalization Linked to Increased Cannabis Use Disorders & Poisonings  

The legalization of cannabis for medical and commercial adult use has been associated to “significant increases” in cannabis use disorders (CUD) and cannabis poisonings (CP) when compared to non-legalized states.   The authors of this study, Jayawardhana, J. (et.al.), researched national patient records (N=110,256,536), from 2011 to 2021, with diagnoses of a CUD or CP, by yearly […]

Monthly cannabis use rates are now greater than alcohol use

When comparing daily use rates of cannabis to daily alcohol consumption, cannabis users are now 7.4 times more likely to engage in daily use compared to alcohol drinkers. Self-reported cannabis use, in the last 30 days, was nearly 4 times higher than alcohol usage for the same metric. From 1992 until 2022, the reported frequency […]

Cannabis, Teens, and Poor Academic Outcomes 

Teens who use cannabis are at a greater risk for poor academic performance, such as being absent from school, or dropping out of school. This new study released October 7, 2024, in JAMA pediatrics, also suggests that cannabis use during adolescence can lower grades, decrease later enrollment into universities and potentially impact unemployment rates after […]

Gallup Survey: America’s Negative Opinion of Cannabis in ‘24

According to Gallup’s latest marijuana poll released August 20, 2024, more Americans now see marijuana’s use and its effects in a more negative perspective than they did in 2023. The 2024 survey involved telephone interviews with U.S. adults (N=1,010). When asked if marijuana use was either “somewhat” or “very” harmful, 66% of the respondents agreed […]

Increased Risk of Oral, Head, & Neck Cancers from Those with Cannabis Use Disorders

Individuals with a cannabis use disorder (CUD) have a 3 to 8 times higher risk of developing a “head and neck cancer” (HNC) when compared to non-cannabis users. These are among the findings of a new study released in JAMA Otolaryngology this week. Historically, these types of cancers have been associated to heavy tobacco and/or […]

Health Risks: Rolling Papers with Hazardous Chemical Elements

Recent research supports the health risks of marijuana use due to the presence of heavy metals and other chemical elements found in the plant. Now the same health warning, extends to the use of rolling papers, also contaminated with chemical elements, primarily for color. Of the 26 chemical elements found in rolling papers during the […]

Commercial Cannabis: Tested levels of THC lower than labeling on package 

The National Marijuana Initiative (NMI) in a partnership with the University of Mississippi, Natural Products Laboratory, conducted research into the actual THC potency of cannabis products in the commercial marketplace.  University researchers found that 70% of the commercial cannabis flower they analyzed, failed to meet the claimed THC potency level, as labeled, when sold. When compared […]