When you have ‘formulations’ not pharmaceuticals being peddled as medicine, then recreational cannabis use is easy to ‘hide’. In fact it was a key strategy of pro-cannabis lobby to get legalisation for recreational use of the highly engineer drug. (Source: SBS Story here)  

Also see Cannabis as ‘Medicine?’: Pot Propaganda, Emotive Anecdote, Marketing Manipulation, and the Side Stepping of Science

Many Think Marijuana Causes Little to No Harm, Study Finds

"In Colorado, the whole campaign to legalize was that marijuana is not as harmful as alcohol," Roffman noted. He said it's possible that, as a result, many people could "come to the conclusion that if attitudes change and laws change maybe there is nothing to worry about."

The changing public perception doesn't always align with medical opinion.

"That was a controversy from the very beginning," Dr. Patrick Fehling, an addiction psychiatrist at the University of Colorado Hospital Center for Dependency Addiction and Rehabilitation told ABC News. "Marijuana became legalized before a lot of its effect were fully understood."

Research on the drug has been limited and is now expanding, in part thanks to legalization and the tax dollars selling it has raised. But, so far, much of the research is actually "indicating potential for harm" from marijuana use, according to Fehling.

"There is a very big difference between recreational use and 'addictional' use," Fehling said. The "signs of addiction include tolerance and withdrawal, loss of control around your use, and consequences and problems in your life around your use."

"The use of medical marijuana is still highly controversial," he added, explaining that much of the research is still "anecdotal," based on what people self-report.

The number of American adults in the surveys who reported using marijuana increased from 10.4 percent to 13.3 percent over the 12-year period. The study, however, largely reflects self-reported data and may not account for how legalization has changed the way people report their marijuana use.

For Complete Article

Also see Think it's harmless? Now nine in ten teens at drug clinics are being treated for marijuana use

A cross-sectional study of the relationship between frequency of cannabis use and psychiatric symptoms among people seeking mental health and addiction services in Nova Scotia (2019-21)

Abstract – Background: Cannabis use may be a modifiable risk factor for mental health problems; however, the role of cannabis use frequency in population seeking mental health and addiction services remains unclear. This study aimed to: 1) compare the prevalence and functional impact of psychiatric symptoms among frequent, infrequent, and non-users of cannabis; and 2) evaluate the associations between cannabis use frequency and functional impact of psychiatric symptoms in help-seeking individuals.

Results: Frequent and infrequent cannabis users had a higher prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in each domain than non-users, while no significant differences were found between frequent and infrequent users. Frequent cannabis use was associated with greater functional impact of psychiatric symptoms in each domain compared to non-users, while infrequent use was only associated with greater functional impact of externalizing behaviors.

Conclusion: Frequent cannabis use is associated with increased prevalence and functional impact of psychiatric symptoms among adults seeking mental health services. (Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38518571/ )

Also see 

• Transition to Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder Following Emergency Department Visits Due to Substance Use With and Without Psychosis – Cannabis Tops the List
• Mulling up Cannabis and psychosis – Lancet Warning on Cannabis and Psychosis
• Cannabis Leads in Race to Psychotic Disorders – Rates and Predictors of Conversion to Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder Following Substance-Induced Psychosis
• Novel Insights on Cannabis and Psychosis
• Cannabis and Psychosis Through the Lens of DSM-5

Marijuana edible-related poison control calls among children 0-12 increased 3,311% from 2016 to 2022 

According to data from America’s Poison Centers, from 2016 to 2022, marijuana edible-related poison control calls among children aged 0-12 years old increased 3,311%:

• 2016: 187 calls 
• 2017: 343 calls 
• 2018: 816 calls 
• 2019: 1,364 calls 
• 2020: 3,132 calls 
• 2021: 4,354 calls 
• 2022: 6,379 calls

This trend is exacerbated by kid-friendly edible packaging and product design. Products are often sold in colorful packaging and are made to look like and taste like candies, cookies, and other snacks. Many toddlers eat these THC products not knowing that they are in fact marijuana. Additionally, many users fail to properly store marijuana products, leaving them accessible to kids.

(Source SAM – Drug Report March 2024)

Cannabis and Driving in Older Adults

Question: What is the association between retail cannabis available to the consumer, driving, and associated blood tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels in people over 65 years of age?

Findings: In this cohort study, 31 regular users of cannabis aged 65 to 79 years chose on average high potency (18.74% THC) THC-dominant cannabis. Weaving was increased and speed was decreased at 30 minutes after smoking, which was not correlated with blood THC concentrations; subjective experience and self-reports of impaired driving persisted for 3 hours. 

Meaning: These findings suggest that older drivers, even if they regularly use cannabis, show evidence of impaired driving performance after smoking cannabis

Source Cannabis and Driving in Older Adults | Geriatrics | JAMA Network