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According to a study published Monday, people who reported having used cannabis in the past year were much more likely to be hospitalized or taken to the emergency room than those who did not use the drug. did. BMJ Open Respiratory ResearchProposing recreational cannabis may not be as harmful as many think given the increasing pressure toward legalization.
Cannabis was associated with a higher risk of being hospitalized or going to the emergency room.
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Important facts
Cannabis users – most of whom the researchers said would have used the drug recreationally – had a “significantly higher” risk of being hospitalized or going to the emergency room for any reason, according to the cohort. Didn’t use any medication. The analysis reviewed the medical records of more than 15,000 Canadians.
The researchers found that cannabis users were 22% more likely to go to the emergency room or be hospitalized overall, even when factors such as age, gender, and other health conditions were factored in.
Acute trauma (15%) was the most common reason for an emergency room visit or hospitalization among cannabis users, followed by respiratory problems (14%) and gastrointestinal problems (13%).
The findings point to the serious health risks associated with cannabis use and suggest that recreational use worldwide is “not benign” and should be reduced.
what we don’t know
What is behind the results of the study? Because the study was observational, the researchers emphasize that their results cannot be used to say that cannabis use resulted in higher rates of hospitalizations and emergency room visits. He said the results could be explained by factors the researchers didn’t measure or consider in their analysis. The researchers also noted that the study’s small sample size meant they could not reliably estimate the difference in risk of all-cause mortality among cannabis users, although no significant differences were found in the available data. The researchers said more research is needed to confirm the findings and explore a possible link between all-cause mortality and respiratory disease.
main background
Despite federal prohibition, cannabis use is growing in nineteen US states, and Washington, DC has legalized recreational cannabis, with several other states, including Oklahoma, likely to follow suit this year. Polls show that a strong majority of Americans support legalization, despite efforts to do so have been thwarted by the federal government, encouraging the development of a burgeoning cannabis tourism industry in states that legalize the substance. Power, which is worth an estimated $17 billion. About 37 states have legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes, and while there is evidence that certain cannabis compounds like CBD may be useful in treating conditions like chronic pain, much remains unknown and the science is far from settled. Many of the purported health benefits of cannabis-derived products are exaggerated or false, lack solid evidence, and have been extrapolated from clinical studies that differ significantly from how the drug would be used recreationally. . Medical propaganda can obscure the basic fact that cannabis is a drug, and there is clear evidence that its recreational use can be harmful, particularly among young people. There is an increased risk of serious mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
big number
100 billion dollars. How much could the US cannabis industry be worth in 2030? Legal sales are estimated to reach $25 billion in 2021.
Continue reading
Cannabis Tourism Is Now A $17 Billion Industry — And It’s Taking Off (Forbes)
Where is cannabis legal? A Guide to All 50 States (Forbes)
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