Get a Clue - Weed

Details: Published: 12 February 2021; Hits: 1392

Is weed a gateway drug at any age? Frequent users are three times more likely to be heavy drinkers and 20 TIMES more likely to use other drugs - no matter when they start smoking marijuana

Researchers compared people who began regularly using marijuana as teenager and as adults to non-users
People who began using pot as adolescents were 20.4 times more likely to be illicit drug users and 3.7 times more likely to be a high-risk alcohol drinkers
They were also 7.2 times more likely to smoke cigarettes daily and 0.4 times less likely to be in a relationship
Weed users who began as adults were 90.8 times more likely to use illicit drugs, 3.2 times more likely to be heavy drinkers
These people were 7.3 times more likely to smoke cigarettes daily and 0.3 times less likely to be in a relationship

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Details: Published: 10 February 2021; Hits: 1395

Highlights

Peer deviance is associated with higher odds of cannabis use.
PRS is associated with higher odds of cannabis use among subjects who never engage with community activities.
Analyses in African American subjects were inconclusive due to limited portability of the PRS.
Church activities is associated with lower odds of cannabis use.

Abstract

Background: Among adult college students in the US, cannabis use is common and associated with considerable negative consequences to health, cognition, and academic functioning, underscoring the importance of identifying risk and protective factors. Cannabis use is influenced by genetic factors, but genetic risk is not determinative. Accordingly, it is critical to identify environments that reduce risk among those who are at elevated genetic risk. This study examined the impact of polygenic scores for cannabis initiation, various forms of social activity participation, and peer deviance on recent cannabis use. Our aim was to test whether these environments moderate genetic risk for cannabis use.

Methods: Data came from a longitudinal sample of undergraduate college students of European American (EA; N_EA = 750) and African American (AA; N_AA = 405) ancestry. Generalized estimating equations with a logit link function were used to examine main effects and two-way interactions.

Results: Engagement with church activities was associated with lower probability of cannabis use. Peer deviance was associated with higher probability of cannabis use. Engagement with community activities moderated the influence of the polygenic risk score in the EA sample, such that PRS was associated with recent cannabis use among those who never engaged in community activities. This effect did not replicate in AAs, which may have been due to the portability of PRS based on EA discovery samples.

Conclusions: Results suggest that community activities may limit the influence of genetic risk, as associations between PRS and cannabis use were only observed among individuals who never engaged in community activities.

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Details: Published: 05 February 2021; Hits: 1344

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and University of Michigan report evidence of toxic chemicals in marijuana smokers and withdrawal symptoms in most people using cannabis, Australia’s University of Queensland showed that regular cannabis use has harmful effects and Canada’s University of Montreal confirmed that cannabidiol isn’t effective in reducing dependence on cocaine.

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Details: Published: 01 February 2021; Hits: 1313

JAMA Pediatr. Published online January 19, 2021. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.5494

Question Is cannabis use disorder associated with heightened risk of self-harm, suicide, and mortality among youths with mood disorders?

Findings This population-based cohort study of Medicaid-enrolled youths with mood disorders found that the presence of cannabis use disorder was significantly associated with an increased risk of nonfatal self-harm, all-cause mortality, and death by unintentional overdose and homicide.

Meaning Cannabis use disorder is common among adolescents and young adults with mood disorders and is associated with an elevated risk of self-harm, overall mortality, and death by unintentional overdose and homicide in this already vulnerable population.

Abstract

Importance Cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) are common among youths and young adults with mood disorders, but the association of CUD with self-harm, suicide, and overall mortality risk is poorly understood in this already vulnerable population.

Objective To examine associations of CUD with self-harm, suicide, and overall mortality risk in youths with mood disorders.

Results This study included 204 780 youths (133 081 female participants [65.0%]; mean [SD] age at the time of mood disorder diagnosis, 17.2 [4.10] years). Cannabis use disorder was documented for 10.3% of youths with mood disorders (n = 21 040) and was significantly associated with older age (14-18 years vs 10-13 years: adjusted risk ratio [ARR], 9.35; 95% CI, 8.57-10.19; and 19-24 years vs 10-13 years: ARR, 11.22; 95% CI, 10.27-12.26), male sex (ARR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.74-1.84), Black race (ARR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.35-1.44), bipolar or other mood disorders (bipolar disorders: ARR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.21-1.29; other mood disorders: ARR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.15-1.25), prior history of self-harm (ARR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.52-1.82), previous mental health outpatient visits (ARR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.22-1.30), psychiatric hospitalizations (ARR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.57-1.76), and mental health emergency department visits (ARR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.47-1.61). Cannabis use disorder was significantly associated with nonfatal self-harm (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 3.28; 95% CI, 2.55-4.22) and all-cause mortality (AHR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.13-2.24), including death by unintentional overdose (AHR, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.39-4.16) and homicide (AHR, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.22-8.59). Although CUD was associated with suicide in the unadjusted model, it was not significantly associated in adjusted models.

Conclusions and Relevance Cannabis use disorder is a common comorbidity and risk marker for self-harm, all-cause mortality, and death by unintentional overdose and homicide among youths with mood disorders. These findings should be considered as states contemplate legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, both of which are associated with increased CUD.

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Details: Published: 01 February 2021; Hits: 1269

50% of U.S. teens who use marijuana on a regular basis admit to driving while high, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

The reach these findings, researchers looked at data from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. "Marijuana can impair cognitive abilities that are critical for safe driving," the study’s lead researcher Dr. Motao Zhu, an associate professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University College of Public Health said. "This is a serious issue that requires our attention." "Definitely, there's more availability of marijuana from legal channels," Zhu said. "Maybe teens feel marijuana isn't as harmful as they thought in the past."

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