Early use of marijuana can increase its negative health impacts
A study cautions of risks for young consumers
March 28, 2017
Science Daily/Concordia University
With new legislation imminent in Canada, marijuana is a hot topic these days. Those who smoke it may be cheering. Those who've never tried it may be thinking, why not? And those looking to make a business out of it are grappling with how to navigate a challenging product.
But one of the most contentious aspects of legalization is age. A report by the Canadian Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, released in December 2016, recommends marijuana use be restricted to those 18 years old and older.
The need for age guidelines falls in line with a new study by James McIntosh, professor of economics in the Faculty of Arts and Science. Recently published in the journal Health, the findings show that young users report the most impact to their physical and mental health.
The article also shows that those who wait until the age of 21 to use the drug are unlikely to develop a lifelong habit.
Heightened risks for youth
For the study, McIntosh and his co-author Rawan Hassunah (BA 16) examined the results of three national surveys on tobacco, alcohol and drug use -- two in Canada and one in the United States.
"We wanted to see what the effects of regular marijuana use were on self-reported physical and mental health," McIntosh explains.
The report cites other studies demonstrating the negative impacts of marijuana. It's the first, however, to look so closely at age of first use.
In terms of overall effects, the study confirmed that marijuana does affect people's physical and mental health, that it will cause cognitive impairment, memory loss, diminished IQ, limited educational success and likelihood for developing mental illness. Physically, early users also suffer higher rates of respiratory diseases and certain cancers.
McIntosh says the younger you start, the worse the impacts.
"We found that if age of first use is below 15, it's always bad for you."
The argument for legalization
So how can these findings translate into informing youth about the risks? Besides legislation, McIntosh recommends educational programs, counselling services and a distribution system that minimizes use by young people.
Despite his warnings about age restrictions, however, he says legalization will bring more good than harm.
"The task force outlines these benefits -- to take marijuana out of criminal hands, to tax it, to make sure that product quality is preserved."
McIntosh adds that being at the cusp of legalization puts Canada in a unique position to begin rigorous study of cannabis and its effects.
"We need to start collecting data on it to see what the effects are on people of all ages. You can get all kinds of information on drinking behaviours -- they should do that with marijuana."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170328105901.htm
Young people are choosing marijuana before cigarettes and alcohol
New research shows that the percentage of 12- to 21-year-olds who start using marijuana before other substances has increased significantly over the past decade
May 17, 2018
Science Daily/Springer
More young people are turning to marijuana as their first substance of choice, rather than smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol. This pattern is especially prevalent among young men of specific racial and ethnic groups in the US, says Brian Fairman of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the US, in Springer's journal Prevention Science. He says that young people who start off on marijuana before alcohol or tobacco are more likely to become heavy users and have cannabis-related problems later in life.
The research team analyzed nationally-representative, cross-sectional survey data available as part of the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health. This data draws on information from more than 275,500 individuals aged 12 to 21 and was collected between 2004 and 2014. Survey respondents were asked about their use of marijuana, cigarettes, alcohol, and other forms of tobacco or illegal drugs. Those who used these substances provided further information about which they started using first, and at what age.
The researchers found that 8 per cent of participants reported in 2014 that marijuana was the first drug they ever used. This percentage had almost doubled from 4.8 per cent in 2004. According to Fairman, this could be related to a concurrent decline in those who start smoking cigarettes first, which dropped from about 21 per cent in 2004 to 9 per cent in 2014.
"We also observed a significant increase in youth abstaining from substance use altogether, which rose from 36 per cent to 46 per cent, and therefore, it is unclear the degree to which increases in those initiating marijuana first could be due to youth abstaining or delaying cigarettes," says Fairman.
Fairman and his colleagues further found that those using marijuana first, rather than alcohol or cigarettes, were more likely to be male, and Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, multiracial, or Hispanic. The researchers established that youths who used marijuana first were more likely to become heavy users later in life, and to develop a cannabis use disorder.
"Our findings suggest important targets for public health intervention and prevention of marijuana use, especially among American Indian/Alaska Native and Black youth, who are less likely to have access to treatment or successful treatment outcomes," says Fairman, who believes that drug prevention strategies could be improved by targeting to groups differently, based on their risk of initiating tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana first.
"To the degree these trends continue and greater numbers of youth start with marijuana as their first drug, there may be an increasing need for public interventions and treatment services for marijuana-related problems," Fairman explains.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180517102358.htm
Marijuana use amongst youth stable, but substance abuse admissions up
August 15, 2017
Science Daily/Binghamton University
While marijuana use amongst youth remains stable, youth admission to substance abuse treatment facilities has increased, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Miesha Marzell, assistant professor of social work at Binghamton University, along with researchers at The University of Iowa, did a secondary analysis of data collected from every nationally funded substance abuse treatment facility in the United States from 2003-2013. The data covered admissions before and after major marijuana policies were enacted nationwide. The team's analysis showed that while marijuana use amongst youth has remained relatively unchanged, admissions to substance abuse treatment facilities has increased.
"Teens were being admitted to substance abuse treatment centers across the United States, but they were not necessarily indicating that their marijuana use was at a high-risk," said Marzell.
As to why numbers are up, Marzell says that it could be that people are seeing any kind of use as high-risk and want to make sure that, from a prevention standpoint, that they stay on top of it.
"As states legalize, it provides a different access to this drug. It could be that people are reporting any type of use now as risky, whereas before it wasn't on the minds of people as much," she said.
While Marzell notes that any marijuana that a youth does is illegal and high-risk, experimenting with one joint, for example, doesn't necessarily warrant substance abuse treatment. Marzell said that placing youth in substance abuse treatment unnecessarily can have negative impacts on their life trajectory, as they can be stigmatized.
"It might not be the best course of action for a drug behavior. If you get a splinter, you don't put a cast on; if you break your arm, you put a cast on. It's this overreaction. And it's also not a good use of funds, because treatment is expensive...We want to make sure that we're using all of our resources in an appropriate way," she said.
Marzell said that as marijuana laws continue to change around the country, more research needs to be conducted.
"I think that what needs to be done is more research on changing marijuana policies and youth behavior and outcomes specifically related to treatment. There needs to be more drug education, but substance abuse treatment might not necessarily be warranted," she said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170815120537.htm