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Highlights

• We estimate that >2 million U.S. adults who have reported ever using marijuana have cardiovascular disease.
• Observational studies have suggested an association between marijuana use and a range of cardiovascular risks.
• Marijuana is becoming increasingly potent, and smoking marijuana carries many of the same cardiovascular health hazards as smoking tobacco.
• Few randomized clinical trials have been conducted or are planned to explore the effects of marijuana on cardiovascular risk.
• Screening and testing for use of marijuana are encouraged in clinical settings, especially in the care of young patients presenting with cardiovascular disease

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January 16, 2020 

People who use cannabis every day account for more than 80 per cent of the total amount of the drug consumed in Australia, a University of Queensland study has discovered.

The finding suggests there are serious implications for a small group of people if there is a move to decriminalise or fully legalise the drug.

UQ researchers examined data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey between 2007 and 2016.

A UQ study has found a small proportion of daily cannabis users account for over 80 per cent of the total consumption of the drug in Australia.

(This follows classic dependence consumption modelling – 80% of product consumed by small amount – Industry makes most of its money off addiction for profit. Dalgarno Institute)

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Date: January 8, 2020 Source: Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

Summary: Researchers assessed the time trends in alcohol and marijuana detected in homicide victims and found that the prevalence of marijuana almost doubled, increasing from 22 percent in 2004 to 42 percent in 2016. Alternately, the prevalence of alcohol declined slightly from 40 percent in 2004 to 35 percent in 2016.

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Marijuana use during pregnancy can have a significant impact on the health of unborn babies, a new joint study by Western University and Queen’s University researchers says.

“This is the first study to definitively support the fact that THC alone has a direct impact on placental and fetal growth” study co-author and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry associate professor Dan Hardy said in a statement.

In lab rats, researchers showed regular exposure to a low dose of THC — meant to mimic daily use of pot during pregnancy — led to an eight per cent drop in birth weight and a more than 20 per cent decrease in brain and liver growth in the fetus.

The research team also showed how THC can prevent oxygen and nutrients from crossing the placenta and reaching the unborn baby. By looking at human placental cells, the team found THC exposure reduced the amount of an important protein that transports glucose — a key nutrient used in human energy production — into cells.

“This study is important to support clinicians in communicating the very real risks associated with cannabis use during pregnancy.”

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Regular cannabis use was independently associated with adverse changes in left ventricle size and subclinical dysfunction compared with rare/never cannabis use.

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