Cannabis Conundrum

Executive SummaryÄ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis, induces persistent epigenetic modifications — DNA methylation changes, histone post-translational modifications, and altered non-coding RNA expression — that disrupt mesolimbic reward circuitry, impair neuroplasticity, and elevate risks of addiction, cognitive decline, and psychosis. Cannabidiol (CBD), while pharmacologically distinct and non-intoxicating, offers only limited mitigation of these

More than 20,000 marijuana related deaths appeared on US death certificates between 2000 and 2024. That is the finding of a new analysis of the CDC’s WONDER database. The figures count marijuana poisoning or a marijuana related disorder as the underlying cause of death or a contributing one. Taken together, they suggest cannabis related deaths

Rising rates of cannabis use worldwide have renewed scientific attention on a question long overshadowed by the tobacco debate: what does inhaling burnt cannabis actually do to the human airway? A newly published Canadian investigation, presented recently through the IASIC Speaker Series webinar “The Lung Health Implications of Cannabis Smoking,” moderated by Dr Russell Kamer,

The federal marijuana rescheduling hearing has closed after twelve days of testimony. The closing witnesses left behind a sobering record. Rather than building a case for marijuana as ordinary medicine, the cannabis rescheduling case exposed a different picture. Witnesses described uncontrolled products, unresolved psychosis risk and a persistent link to organised crime. A recommendation from

A major global review has linked commercial cannabis legalisation to rising rates of addiction, psychiatric hospital admissions and cannabis use disorder. Researchers at the University of Bath led the study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry. The team tracked cannabis policy changes in dozens of countries from 2000 to 2025. One number stands out immediately: cannabis

PMID: 41801216 . DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.8215 Abstract Importance: Cannabis use is common among those with mental health conditions, and many people report using cannabis to manage mental health symptoms. It is important for clinicians to understand the lack of clear benefits of cannabis for mental health conditions and the potential for substantial adverse effects. Observations: Overall, the potential benefits of

Every year, another cohort of teenagers reaches the age where cannabis becomes available to them: through a dealer, a friend, or increasingly, a legal dispensary. Most try it once or twice and move on. A smaller group use it regularly through adolescence. Experts have argued for decades over what that regular use does to a

For many people, cannabis now sits in the same mental basket as a glass of wine or a herbal sleep aid: familiar, legal in some places, and often marketed as a “natural” way to unwind. But a major new brain‑imaging study of more than 1,000 young adults suggests that heavy cannabis use may quietly weaken

Received April 16, 2026; Published online April 22, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2026.109421 External Link   Highlights Individuals with cannabis use disorder had an increased risk of any lung and/or bronchus cancer in this cohort study. Increased risk for small cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma was observed. Further studies are required to explore the strength of this