Cannabis is used by Americans across the country to treat all manner of health conditions, with the science backing up these health claims. But beyond the relief and euphoria that cannabis can offer, there’s pushback to the legalization trend: experts say there’s increasing evidence of long-term harms. VITALS host Sheena Williams debunks five surprising health-related myths about cannabis use with the help of cannabis specialist Dr. Peter Grinspoon.
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Find our experts and hosts:
:: Sheena William, RN ::
Twitter: @Keepingitkinky1
Instagram: @keepingitkinky
:: Alok Patel, MD ::
Website: http://alokpatelmd.com/
Twitter: @AlokPatelMD
Instagram: @alokpatelmd
:: Peter Grinspoon, MD ::
Peter Grinspoon, an American born physician, is an internist and medical cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School
Website: http://alokpatelmd.com/
Twitter: @peter_grinspoon
Instagram: @peter_grinspoon
All Of Us Research ProgramThe All of Us Research Program will provide a national research resource to inform thousands of research questions, covering a wide variety of health conditions. It has the goal of surveying the health data of over 1 million participants.
– https://allofus.nih.gov/
– https://www.acc.org/About-ACC/Press-Releases/2023/02/23/18/53/Frequent-Marijuana-Use-Linked-to-Heart-Disease#:~:text=After%20adjusting%20for%20age%2C%20sex,in%20the%20risk%20of%20CAD.
Marijuana Use Disorder
While one study estimated that approximately 3 in 10 people who use marijuana have marijuana use disorder, another study estimated that people who use cannabis have only a 10% likelihood of becoming “addicted.” The measurement and classification of cannabis use disorder as an addiction is controversial: as Dr. Grinspoon explains, “[cannabis] does help people. It helps people with anxiety, with pain, with sleep, with boredom, with loneliness…And it’s not a simple thing to disentangle—you can’t just write off a third of patients.”
– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538131/
– https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/addiction.html#:~:text=Some%20people%20who%20use%20marijuana,marijuana%20have%20marijuana%20use%20disorder
– https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/01/04/samhsa-announces-national-survey-drug-use-health-results-detailing-mental-illness-substance-use-levels-2021.html
– https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/available-treatments-marijuana-use-disorders
Cannabis Use and Schizophrenia
Using Danish health records for over six million individuals, one study found that as many as 30% of cases of schizophrenia among men aged 21 to 30 could have been prevented had they avoided cannabis use disorder. The study author, however, flagged that Denmark does not have as much diversity as the US and that genetics do play a role in schizophrenia risk. Again, a correlation isn’t enough to imply causation, but the study findings may warrant caution.
– https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/association-between-cannabis-use-disorder-and-schizophrenia-stronger-in-young-males-than-in-females/E1F8F0E09C6541CB8529A326C3641A68
– https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/heavy-marijuana-use-increases-schizophrenia-in-men-study-finds/
Marijuana, Race, and Policy
– https://www.brookings.edu/articles/marijuanas-racist-history-shows-the-need-for-comprehensive-drug-reform/
– https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/a-tale-of-two-countries-racially-targeted-arrests-in-the-era-of-marijuana-reform
Other studies and data mentioned
– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3998228/#:~:text=Other%20reported%20therapeutic%20benefits%20included,relief%20from%20depression%20(7%25).
– https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/full/10.7326/M21-4520
– https://journals.lww.com/co-psychiatry/Abstract/2020/01000/The_role_of_cannabis_in_treating_anxiety__an.2.aspx
– https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000883
– https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/brain-health.html
– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9067069/
00:00 Intro
02:03 Myth #1: Marijuana is natural, healthy
05:02 Myth #2: Marijuana isn’t addictive
07:03 Myth #3: Cannabis is safe for the brain
07:56 Myth #4: Weed can replace prescription sleep aid
09:22 Myth #5: Weed can cure anxiety/depression
11:03 Weed, Policy, & Race
12:20 Outro/Sheena’s Story
