As an addiction treatment provider, most of my energy is spent addressing the opioid overdose epidemic. However, there is another scourge that is negatively impacting our young people, and it is a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing:’ medical marijuana.
Increasingly, I’ve been hearing accounts of cannabis-related psychosis, depressive breakdowns, and suicidal thoughts (among other things). The marijuana that is being sold to our youths is so strong, that it’s exacerbating latent mental health issues that might’ve been bubbling under the surface, but not prevalent until the effects of the drug were experienced.
In California, hospital admissions for cannabis-related complications have increased more than ten-fold between 2005 (1,400) to 2019 (16,000). In the 19 states that have legalized cannabis (including California), rates of addiction are nearly 40 per cent higher than states without legal cannabis, according to research by Columbia University.
Marijuana is “Less Harmful,” But Not Safe
I can say with confidence that marijuana is less dangerous than both opioids and alcohol. Many people can enjoy pot recreationally with no negative effects. In fact, recent research conducted by the California Department of Public Health has found that roughly 40% of Californians now say they’ve dabbled at least once. But for some, marijuana can cause a variety of unwanted side effects. I am particularly concerned with the effect it is having on young people. Marijuana is by far the most abused drug by 13-17 year old adolescents.
A study published recently by BMJ Journals found that recreational marijuana users were 25 per cent more likely to end up needing emergency hospital treatment than non-users. And, according to data from the US Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the risk of being involved in a cannabis-related accident is significantly higher in states where the drug is legal.
Even the original reason that cannabis was welcomed into medical use, as a pain reliever for cancer patients, has come under scrutiny, as last month a major review of 25 studies concluded there was insufficient evidence for the long-term pain-relieving effect of cannabis. As for mental health, a 2020 review by psychiatrists at the University of Melbourne found insufficient evidence that cannabis helps anxiety, depression, or insomnia.
Excessive Use of Potent Marijuana is Linked to Problems
Small, infrequent doses have little long-term impact, according to studies. But with prolonged, regular use, signals in the users’ brain areas can start to go awry. Studies have shown that frequent ingestion of cannabis can increase the risk of serious mental illness like psychosis and schizophrenia, as well as insomnia, social anxiety disorder and suicidal thoughts.
Complicating things is the fact that it’s hard to monitor the amount of THC being ingested, especially when the user smokes the marijuana flower, or ‘buds,’ which is the traditional method that most people over the age of thirty will be familiar with. But when other concoctions are imbibed – the potency can be ‘off the charts.’ Concentrated marijuana products like ‘wax’ allow the user to quickly ingest (or ‘dab’) an extremely strong dose of smoke, increasing the likelihood the user will overindulge. Edible marijuana is often put into delicious treats and beverages, increasing the temptation for the user to ingest more of the drug than they had planned for.
Marijuana Builds Tolerance and is ‘Habit-Forming’
While labeling marijuana as ‘addictive’ is a bit controversial, users can definitely build up a tolerance, requiring more and more of the drug for the same effects. The result can be marijuana dependence or ‘marijuana use disorder,’ which occurs after the brain adapts to receiving large amounts of the drug. Marijuana dependence is characterized by the user:
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms
- Obsessing about getting more of the drug
- Continuing use even after it’s negatively impacted their life
Physicians across the US are seeing a lot more patients who have gone from smoking once every few months to using cannabis every day. Frequent and heavy use is becoming normalized in legalized states and even glorified in the media and pop culture.
Marijuana is a Gateway to Harder Drugs
One other potential outcome of marijuana use is the risk of marijuana users graduating to opioid use. Accidental overdose is the number one killer of people aged 18 to 45 in the United States. Opioids are present in 70% of these overdoses. While marijuana might not carry this risk of fatal overdose, we have seen over and over that young people who abuse marijuana are at risk of graduating to more dangerous drugs, like opioids. Also, the hyper potent synthetic opioid fentanyl is increasingly being mixed in other counterfeit drugs (like Xanax and Adderall), which are frequently sought out by youths on social media platforms like Snapchat, leading to accidental overdoses right in the homes in which they live.
What are Parents to Do?
You should talk to your children about the dangers of marijuana. As a crisis coach and family navigator, I am often called upon to facilitate these conversations. You are welcome to contact me at 619-993-2738 if you want help in this area. But, the key thing is to start the conversation, and the exact words you use are less important than sending the message that you want to establish a connection with them, and that you are doing it out of love.
Again, there’s no ‘wrong way’ to discuss the dangers of marijuana, but I certainly recommend including in the discussion the dangers of fentanyl (and, by extension, ‘all pills or drugs that don’t come directly from a doctor’). While it might seem irrelevant to the marijuana discussion, the fact is that during the current overdose epidemic, parents simply must discuss this with their children.
Getting Help is Always a Good Move
If you have a family member that you are concerned about, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. You can start by contacting The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association (SAMHSA) at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
About the Author
Scott H. Silverman is a Crisis Coach and Family Navigator who’s based in San Diego. He is the author of The Opioid Epidemic and the founder and CEO of Confidential Recovery.