Surgeon General Vice Adm. Jerome M. Adams has issued an advisory emphasizing the importance of protecting youth and pregnant women from the health risks of marijuana use. Marijuana, or cannabis, is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a component of marijuana, binds to receptors in the brain, producing euphoria… Continue reading Marijuana: A Warning From The U.S Surgeon General
Tag: marijuana
Alcohol, Not Drugs, Most Popular Among College Students
A federal survey on substance use among teens transitioning to adulthood showed that 13 percent of non-college young adults report daily, or near daily, use of marijuana. Among full-time college students, alcohol use is much more common. Those figures come from The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and its latest Monitoring the Future (MTF)… Continue reading Alcohol, Not Drugs, Most Popular Among College Students
Cannabis Bliss for your Period?
If you’ve experienced a period before, you’ve probably experienced a craving or two or three. For about half of American women, chocolate —lots of chocolate— is high on that cravings list. And with medical marijuana use on the rise, that monthly chocolate fix is being taken to a whole new level, combining the deliciousness of… Continue reading Cannabis Bliss for your Period?
A Third of Young Adults Have Ridden with an Impaired Driver
Roughly a third of recent high school graduates have ridden in a motor vehicle with a substance-impaired driver, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. The study found that during the first two years after high school graduation, 23 percent of young adults had ridden with a… Continue reading A Third of Young Adults Have Ridden with an Impaired Driver
A Test for Marijuana-Impaired Drivers?
We already have a test to determine whether drivers are alcohol-impaired. But it could be a bit more difficult to come up with a similar evaluation for drivers who have been using too much marijuana. Recent studies in which marijuana users took controlled doses of cannabis in the lab have identified new biomarkers that can… Continue reading A Test for Marijuana-Impaired Drivers?
Cannabis Linked to Gum Disease
Frequent recreational use of cannabis–including marijuana, hashish, and hash oil–increases the risk of gum disease, Columbia University dental researchers have found. The study was published in the March issue of the Journal of Periodontology. Periodontal (gum) disease is an inflammatory reaction to a bacterial infection below the gum line. Left untreated, gum disease can lead… Continue reading Cannabis Linked to Gum Disease
ER Visits Related to Teen Marijuana Use Quadrupled at a Colorado Hospital after Legalization
Visits by teens to a Colorado children’s hospital emergency department and its satellite urgent care centers increased rapidly after legalization of marijuana for commercialized medical and recreational use, according to new research presented on Monday, May 8th at the at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in San Francisco. A release from the American Academy… Continue reading ER Visits Related to Teen Marijuana Use Quadrupled at a Colorado Hospital after Legalization
Better Labeling Needed for Marijuana Edibles
Edible marijuana products such as cookies and candies may be replacing pot brownies, but these new products should have labeling changes to ensure consumer safety. A new study from the nonprofit Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, found that many of the adults who participated in the study… Continue reading Better Labeling Needed for Marijuana Edibles
A Non-Addictive Pain Treatment?
Researchers are drawing closer to developing chronic-pain treatments that keep the medicinal properties of marijuana without the possibility of addiction. The study, by experts at Oregon Health and Science University, was conducted in a rodent model. It provides additional rationale for the development of therapeutics using cannabinoid receptors to treat chronic pain, which afflicts about… Continue reading A Non-Addictive Pain Treatment?
More Older Americans Using Cannabis
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has reported in the January 2017 issue of The Gerontologist that cannabis use by persons over age 50 has outpaced recent growth observed across all other age groups. In 2000, about one percent of Americans over 50 had used it within the past year. By 2012,… Continue reading More Older Americans Using Cannabis
Marijuana-Use Disorders Are on The Rise
As more and more Americans use marijuana, the increase in marijuana disorders is almost as large, according to a new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The research also showed that 2.5 percent of adults—nearly 6 million people—experienced marijuana use disorder in the past year, while 6.3 percent had met the diagnostic criteria for… Continue reading Marijuana-Use Disorders Are on The Rise
Marijuana Tourists in Colorado Are Spending More Time in The E.R.
Out-of-towners using marijuana in Colorado — which has legally allowed sales of the drug since 2014 – are increasinglyl ending up in the emergency room, according to new research. Investigators from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Colorado School of Medicine published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine. “Emergency room visits related… Continue reading Marijuana Tourists in Colorado Are Spending More Time in The E.R.
This is Your Brain on Marijuana
Several studies have demonstrated that the primary active constituent of cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (?9-THC), induces transient psychosis-like effects in healthy subjects similar to those observed in schizophrenia. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not clear. A new study, published in December 2015 in the journal Biological Psychiatry, reports that ?9-THC increases random neural activity, termed… Continue reading This is Your Brain on Marijuana
Misuse of Painkillers Tied to Illegal Drug Use
People who use recreational drugs like cocaine, heroin and marijuana have a higher likelihood of misusing prescription pain relievers as well, according to new research from the University of Georgia School of Social Work. The investigators’ conclusions were buttressed by a study just released by the federal Centers for Disease Control, which found that heroin… Continue reading Misuse of Painkillers Tied to Illegal Drug Use