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To examine the association between co-use of commercial tobacco product (hereafter referred to as tobacco) and cannabis with educational outcomes among high school students.
Results: Current co-use of tobacco and cannabis was more than double the use of only tobacco (3.7% vs 1.7%) and similar to only cannabis (3.7%). Almost 18% of students reported absenteeism. Compared with students who used neither substance, students with current co-use had greater odds of absenteeism (aOR 1.41, 95% CI 1.33-1.49) and lower grades (β = −0.87, 95% CI −0.92 to −0.82). Compared with students using tobacco alone, students with co-use also had a significant elevated odds of absenteeism (aOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.10-1.29) and lower grades (β = −0.39, 95% CI −0.46 to −0.32). Similar results were found for students who ever used tobacco and cannabis.
Conclusions: California youth who co-use tobacco and cannabis were most likely to have absenteeism and lower grades. Comprehensive efforts to prevent or reduce youth substance use may improve educational outcomes.
(Source: Journal of Paediatrics, February 2024)
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50+ peer-reviewed studies from all 50 States in the US (325 million pop.) and 27 EU countries (511million pop.) published 2021-23 have verified what had been known from in vitro and in vivo studies for decades, that cannabis is genotoxic, carcinogenic and teratogenic. These studies now verify that cannabis is causal in:
- 33 cancer types as against 14 for tobacco (Cannabidiol CBD] is the most carcinogenic cannabinoid [12 cancers])
- 70% of pediatric cancer types
- 89 of 95 birth defects tracked by the European Medicines Agency
- Prematurely aging users by 30% at 30 years
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Question: What is the risk of developing schizophrenia spectrum disorder following an emergency department (ED) visit caused by substance use with and without psychosis?
Findings: In this cohort study of 9.8 million people, individuals with an ED visit for substance-induced psychosis or substance use without psychosis were at increased risk of developing schizophrenia spectrum disorder within 3 years relative to the general population.
Meaning: These findings suggest that people who present to the ED for substance use, with or without psychosis, are at increased risk of developing schizophrenia spectrum disorder.
Abstract
Importance: Episodes of substance-induced psychosis are associated with increased risk of developing a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. However, there are limited data on the transition risk for substance use without psychosis.
Objectives: To quantify the risk of transition to schizophrenia spectrum disorder following an incident emergency department (ED) visit for (1) substance-induced psychosis and (2) substance use without psychosis and to explore factors associated with transition.
Results: The study included 9 844 497 individuals, aged 14 to 65 years (mean [SD] age, 40.2 [14.7] years; 50.2% female) without a history of psychosis. There were 407 737 individuals with an incident ED visit for substance use, of which 13 784 (3.4%) ED visits were for substance-induced psychosis. Individuals with substance-induced psychosis were at a 163-fold (age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 163.2; 95% CI, 156.1-170.5) increased risk of transitioning, relative to the general population (3-year risk, 18.5% vs 0.1%). Individuals with an ED visit for substance use without psychosis had a lower relative risk of transitioning (aHR, 9.8; 95% CI, 9.5-10.2; 3-year risk, 1.4%), but incurred more than 3 times the absolute number of transitions (9969 vs 3029). Cannabis use had the highest transition risk among visits with psychosis (aHR, 241.6; 95% CI, 225.5-258.9) and the third-highest risk among visits without psychosis (aHR, 14.3; 95% CI, 13.5-15.2). Younger age and male sex were associated with a higher risk of transition, and the risk of male sex was greater in younger compared with older individuals, particularly for cannabis use.
Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this cohort study suggest that ED visits for substance use were associated with an increased risk of developing a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Although substance-induced psychoses had a greater relative transition risk, substance use without psychosis was far more prevalent and resulted in a greater absolute number of transitions. Several factors were associated with higher transition risk, with implications for counseling and early intervention
(Source: JAMA Psychiatry | JAMA Network 2023)
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“Global researchers are saying that today’s cannabis, is the singular most important link to youth mental health illness epidemic we have in this country.” [USA]
Marijuana companies are using the same manipulative tactics used by tobacco companies of the past. In fact, it’s the same exact playbook: advertising the product as medicine, using child-like messaging, and targeting people of color. Decriminalizing marijuana, for example, is important in getting closer to social justice equity, but that narrative often gets conflated with legalization and glamorization. Kevin Sabet Ph.D, President & CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, sheds light on the detrimental societal impacts of marijuana and unveils the truths obscured by its glamorized portrayal.
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Research team discovered that individuals who used cannabis long-term (for several years or more) and heavily (at least weekly, though a majority in their study used more than four times a week) exhibited impairments across several domains of cognition. Long-term cannabis users' IQs declined by 5.5 points on average from childhood, and there were deficits in learning and processing speed compared to people that did not use cannabis…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 drugs, childhood socioeconomic status, or baseline childhood intelligence.
The impact of cannabis on cognitive impairment was greater than that of alcohol or tobacco use. Long-term cannabis users also had smaller hippocampi (the region of the brain responsible for learning and memory). https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cognitive-effects-of-long-term-cannabis-use-in-midlife-202206142760