The findings are still valid as to why marijuana should not be rescheduled as determined in the Denial of Petition To Initiate Proceedings To Reschedule Marijuana, by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 81 FR 53767-01(August 12, 2016)
Human Physiological and Psychological Effects of Marijuana
MARIJUANA AND MENTAL ILLNESS
Recent studies show a connection between marijuana use and mental illness. In 2017, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concluded after a review of over 10,000 peer-reviewed academic articles, that marijuana use is connected to mental health issues (like psychosis, social anxiety, and thoughts of suicide). [1]
A study discussed in an October 2017 Scientific American shows that people who had consumed marijuana before age 18 developed schizophrenia approximately 10 years earlier than others. The more marijuana you take – and the higher the potency – the greater the risk. [2]
A November 2017 report on a study found that marijuana use in youth is linked to bipolar symptoms in young adults. [3]
References
[1] Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research.
http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2017/Cannabis-Health-Effects/Cannabis-chapter-highlights.pdf
[3] http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/685947/?sc=dwtn November 2017
THERE IS A LINK BETWEEN MARIJUANA USE AND OPIATE USE
Marijuana use is associated with an increased risk for substance use disorders. [1] Marijuana use appears to increase rather than decrease the risk of developing nonmedical prescription opioid use and opioid use disorder. [2] In 2017, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) landmark report written by top scientists concluded after a review of over 10,000 peer-reviewed academic articles, that marijuana use is connected to progression to and dependence on other drugs, including studies showing connections to heroin use. [3]
New research suggests that marijuana users may be more likely than nonusers to misuse prescription opioids and develop prescription opioid use disorder. The investigators analyzed data from more than 43,000 American adults. The respondents who reported past-year marijuana use had 2.2 times higher odds than nonusers of meeting diagnostic criteria for prescription opioid use disorder. They also had 2.6 times greater odds of initiating prescription opioid misuse. [4]
References
[1] JAMA Psychiatry. 2016 Apr;73(4):388-95. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.3229.
Cannabis Use and Risk of Psychiatric Disorders: Prospective Evidence From a US National Longitudinal Study. Blanco C1, Hasin DS2, Wall MM2, Flórez-Salamanca L3, Hoertel N4, Wang S2, Kerridge BT2, Olfson M2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26886046
Cadoni C, Pisanu A, Solinas M, Acquas E, Di Chiara G. Behavioural sensitization after repeated exposure to Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cross-sensitization with morphine. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2001;158(3):259-266. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11640927_Behavioral_sensitization_after_repeated_exposure_to_D9-tetrahydrocannabinol_and_cross-sensitization_with_morphine
[2] Cannabis Use and Risk of Prescription Opioid Use Disorder in the United States, Mark Olfson, M.D., M.P.H., Melanie M. Wall, Ph.D., Shang-Min Liu, M.S., Carlos Blanco, M.D., Ph.D. Published online: September 26, 2017at: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17040413
[3] Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research. See: http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2017/Cannabis-Health-Effects/Cannabis-chapter-highlights.pdf
MARIJUANA USE BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER PREGNANCY CAN CAUSE SERIOUS MEDICAL CONDITIONS
Prenatal marijuana use has been linked with:
1. Developmental and neurological disorders and learning deficits in children.
3. Premature birth, miscarriage, stillbirth.
4. An increased likelihood of a person using marijuana as a young adult.
5. The American Medical Association states that marijuana use may be linked with low birth weight, premature birth, behavioral and other problems in young children.
6. Birth defects and childhood cancer.
7. Reproductive toxicity affecting spermatogenesis which is the process of the formation of male gamete including meiosis and formation of sperm cells.
References
Volkow ND, Compton WM, Wargo EM. The risks of marijuana use during pregnancy. JAMA. 2017;317(2):129-130.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/letter-director
Source: Email from Dave Evans to Drug Watch International April 2018