While the National Institutes of Health has funded research into the possible medicinal uses of THC and CBD, research is incredibly difficult and slow due to the federal prohibition and classification of cannabis as a Schedule I drug. When you eat or drink cannabis-containing products, the compounds need to first pass through your digestive system and liver before reaching your bloodstream. The effects may onset within minutes to hours. While many people smoke or vape it, you can also use cannabis as an ingredient in food, beverages, tinctures, or topicals.
Marijuana’s History and Current Pattern of Abuse
The study also found that people who knew these long-term cannabis users well observed that they had developed memory and attention problems. The above findings persisted even when the study authors controlled for factors such as dependence on other marijuana addiction drugs, childhood socioeconomic status, or baseline childhood intelligence. Part 2 of the CAMU test evaluated whether there exists some credible scientific support for at least one of the medical conditions for which the Part 1 test is satisfied.
Investigating real-world stress-related mechanisms in heavy cannabis users
Today, marijuana is classified by the federal government as a Schedule I substance, which means the drug presents a high risk for abuse and is deemed to have no medicinal uses. However, several states have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use, and 23 states as well as the District of Columbia allow use of medical marijuana to treat certain medical conditions. To begin to quantify THC levels in different cannabis products available to consumers, Budney leveraged social media to survey more than 5,600 adults who smoked or vaped concentrates or flower (the dried flower bud).
- Dronabinol, nabilone, and nabixmols seem to have a lower abuse potential than smoked cannabis (Allsop et al. 2015; Tsang and Giudice 2016), but in one study of cannabinoid replacement therapy, dronabinol and nabixmol had higher self-reports of liking than placebo drugs (Allsop et al. 2015).
- Mothers who smoke pot while pregnant face a higher risk of giving birth to underweight or premature babies.
- For others who are looking to lose weight, this effect could be considered a disadvantage, although epidemiological studies suggest cannabis users don’t have increased risk for diabetes or obesity compared with nonusers.
- Treatments for CUD seem to target aspects of the binge-intoxication, withdrawal-negative affect, and preoccupation-anticipation stages described by Koob and Volkow (2016).
Alcohol Use Disorder
HHS conducted a scientific evaluation of the neurochemistry, receptor pharmacology, animal abuse-related behavioral effects, and human behavioral and physiological effects of marijuana. HHS found that there is a lack of evidence of significant diversion of marijuana from legitimate drug channels. It noted that marijuana is used by researchers for clinical research under investigational new drug (“IND”) applications, and that there are multiple DEA registrants that are approved to produce marijuana and derived formulations for use in DEA-authorized nonclinical and clinical research. HHS observed that these authorizations represent the only federally sanctioned drug channels in the United States, and there is a lack of data indicating diversion occurring from these entities or activities. However, there are significant additional sources of marijuana in the United States, including from illicit cultivation and production, illicit importation from other countries, and from State programs that permit dispensing of marijuana for medical use and, in some States, recreational adult use.
In December 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act—legislation that will make it easier for scientists and manufacturers to study the effects of marijuana and develop guidelines for use. For decades, the University of Mississippi was the only federally approved cultivator of cannabis for scientists, but the new law will allow other entities to manufacture and distribute the drug for research. Based on the evidence, HHS determined that the abuse of marijuana may lead to moderate or low physical dependence, depending on frequency and degree of marijuana exposure. HHS further concluded that marijuana can produce psychic dependence in some individuals, but that the likelihood of serious outcomes is low, suggesting that high psychological dependence does not occur in most individuals who use marijuana.
Opinion What You Aren’t Hearing About Marijuana’s Health Effects – The Wall Street Journal
Opinion What You Aren’t Hearing About Marijuana’s Health Effects.
Posted: Fri, 10 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]