Young Adults’ Simultaneous Use of Alcohol and Marijuana Linked to More Drinking, More Negative Alcohol Consequences, and More Hours High

Up to one in four young adults use alcohol and marijuana simultaneously (i.e., use at the same time with overlapping effects), a behavior linked to a greater risk of adverse consequences. Given the expanding legalization of non-medical marijuana use, there is an urgent need to better understand the effects of simultaneous use and who is most vulnerable to adverse outcomes.

Concurrent use of alcohol and cannabis leads to higher levels of drinking in the longer term

Co-existing use of alcohol and cannabis can lead to negative outcomes such as the development of a substance-use disorder, poor academic and occupational performance, and psychiatric disorders when compared to use of either drug alone. New research that examines simultaneous alcohol/cannabis use has found higher levels of drinking after 18 months. These results and others will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

First-of-its-Kind Study Examines the Impact of Cannabis Use on Surgical Patients’ Post-Procedure Healthcare Needs

In patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery in Boston between 2008 and 2020, those with a diagnosed cannabis use disorder more often required advanced postprocedural healthcare compared to non-users. However, patients whose use of cannabis was not classified as a disorder had lower odds of requiring advanced healthcare after surgery compared to patients who never use cannabis.

Study First to Show Statewide Cannabis-related Deaths in Florida

There has been a 1,107.01 percent increase in the number of people with medical cannabis cards in Florida (2018 to Jan. 27). One key reason is because many people believe cannabinoids – plant derived, medicinal, and synthetic or chemically engineered – are safe to use. A study shows that 386 people died in Florida as a result of cannabis use; of these, 258 cases were caused by synthetic cannabis. Nearly 88 percent were men; 28 percent of deaths were in those ages 45 to 54, compared to 9 percent in those ages 8 to 24. Nearly 99 percent of individuals using cannabis and synthetic cannabis died from accidents.

Study of pre-teens yields surprises about alcohol, tobacco and marijuana

They may only be in 4th or 5th grade, but 1 in 10 pre-teen children already say they’re curious about using alcohol or tobacco products, and 1 in 50 say they’re curious about using marijuana, a new study shows.
As many as 3% of the nearly 12,000 9- and 10-year-olds surveyed say they already have a friend who uses one of these substances. And those who said they did were also much more likely to be curious about trying alcohol or tobacco and other nicotine-containing products themselves.

Chula Researchers Find Extensive amounts of THC in Cannabis-Flavored Drinks The Public Is Cautioned and the Government Urged to Impose Stricter Control

Research work of a biochemistry expert at Chulalongkorn University finds that over 30% of cannabis-flavored drinks randomly tested contain higher THC levels than what is permitted. The public is warned to keep their consumption to moderate levels and that children should refrain from drinking this beverage. The government should control its consumption and warn the people of the benefit and harm of cannabis.

About the cannabis and alcohol relationship: it’s complicated

Not only is cannabis the most commonly used illicit – in a number of states – drug among people who drink alcohol, cannabis is also by far the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S. overall. New research findings tease out the nuanced relationship between alcohol and cannabis through a survey of regular cannabis users who also report drinking alcohol, as well as heavy drinkers in treatment who also use cannabis. These findings will be shared at the 44th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA), which due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be held virtually this year from the 19th – 23rd of June 2021.

Marijuana May Increase Risk of Heart Disease in Healthy Adults

Article title: Habitual cannabis use is associated with altered cardiac mechanics and arterial stiffness, but not endothelial function in young healthy smokers Authors: Christian P. Cheung, Alexandra Michelle Coates, Philip J. Millar, Jamie F. Burr From the authors: “Our cross-sectional data…

Chula Researches “Medical Marijuana” Following National Policy

Chulalongkorn University’s College of Public Health Sciences held an opening ceremony of the Drug Dependence Research Center at the Chulalongkorn–Saraburi Land Development Project. Guests of honor, Mr. Niyom Termsrisuk, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Justice, and Professor Emeritus Charas Suwanwela, M.D., former Chulalongkorn University President and former President of the University Council, and Prof. Narin Hiransuthikul, M.D., Chulalongkorn University Vice President, attended the opening ceremony and performed the ceremonial cutting of the first medical–grade, organically grown cannabis bouquets.

Does Using Marijuana Affect a Person’s Risk of Stroke?

The jury’s still out on whether the use of marijuana may increase the risk of stroke. While several larger studies have found an increased risk, other studies have found no such increased risk. Adding to the debate is a new study that looked at recent marijuana use and risk of ischemic stroke published in the June 3, 2020, online issue of Neurology® Clinical Practice.

Study suggests marijuana may impair female fertility

Female eggs exposed to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, have an impaired ability to produce viable embryos, and are significantly less likely to result in a viable pregnancy, according to an animal study accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting. The abstract will be published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

Where Cannabis Is Legal, Americans Are More Likely to Believe It Has Benefits

Residents of states where cannabis has been legalized are more likely to believe it has beneficial effects – including health benefits in treatment of pain and anxiety or depression, reports a survey study in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Researchers Discover Potential Therapy to Treat Detrimental Effects of Marijuana in Pre-Adolescent Individuals Exposed to THC in Womb

A University of Maryland School of Medicine study using a preclinical animal model suggests that prenatal exposure to THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, makes the brain’s dopamine neurons (an integral component of the reward system) hyperactive and increases sensitivity to the behavioral effects of THC during pre-adolescence.