The amount of Canadians using cannabis has increased by 25 per cent since it was legalized five years ago, a new commentary in the Canadian Medical Association Journal stated. But hospitalizations are also on the rise, prompting some doctors to say more information and better policies are needed to better mitigate negative outcomes. When Canada legalized the use of cannabis in October 2018 after decades of prohibition, the goals were to improve safety and public health as well as to reduce access by youth, crime and the illegal market. Five years later, public health experts say legalization hasn't created any health benefits — but it has been linked to some serious concerns. Cannabis is now widely available since being legalized in October 2018. (Heather Waldron/CBC ) Tuesday's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal includes a commentary taking stock on what's happened with the legalization of non-medical cannabis. The paper doesn't examine a greater uptake of medical cannabis, which has been regulated by the government since 2001. More than a quarter of Canadian adults — 27 per cent — say they use cannabis, up from 22 per cent in 2017, said author Benedikt Fischer, an adjunct professor at the Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health & Addiction at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. "Cannabis has been a widely available, normalized and even promoted product," Fischer said. Benefits Though the CMAJ commenters did not cite any direct health benefits from legalization, the paper notes the important social justice benefits from substantial reductions in criminal arrests and charges, along with the associated stigma. Two-thirds of active cannabis users now get their cannabis from legal sources, according to the paper. In Quebec, the minimum age to use cannabis was upped to 21. The province also introduced other restrictions such as not allowing edibles that would appeal to young people, like gummies, candies and chocolate. "I think there's some positive protective effects from that," Fischer said. How we get high | Science and Cannabis 9 months ago Duration1:30 The previously-unknown endocannabinoid system is a big deal - it helps to balance all other body systems and it turns out bodies are perfectly primed for consuming cannabis. Harms After legalization, there was a large uptick in cannabis poisonings among young children in provinces where edibles were legal. These events were rare but highlighted the importance of child safety packaging. But the increased availability of cannabis also led to other health concerns bringing people to hospital, says another new paper that studied the cannabis-attributable hospitalizations in four provinces, both before and after legalization. The study's authors combed through hospitalization data on nearly seven million people aged 15 and up in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Their findings were published Thursday in JAMA Network Open. Cannabis edibles that would appeal to young people, like gummies, are regulated more strictly in Quebec than in other provinces. (Travis Dolynny/CBC) There were 105,000 hospitalizations for cannabis over a seven-year period from January 2015 through March 2021, the report says. One-third were among people aged 15 to 24, while nearly 70,000, or 66 per cent, were among males. The study focused on three time periods: pre-legalization (January 2015 to September 2018); post-legalization with product and store restrictions (October 2018 to February 2020); and post-legalization with commercialization, resulting in more stores and product access (March 2020 to March 2021). The latter period overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic. During the early years of legalization, with tightly controlled products and limited store access, the rate of hospitalizations didn't notably change. However, data suggests that the commercial period was accompanied by an increase in cannabis hospitalizations, particularly among people aged 25 years and older, the study's authors said. Going from a couple of cannabis stores in a city to hundreds increased availability, which can lead to overuse problems, said lead author Daniel Myran, a family physician with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. From his work in public health and as a researcher, Myran said people, mostly young men, commonly show up in emergency departments after using cannabis because they're experiencing withdrawal or are intoxicated but not displaying cannabis-related psychosis. Myran said they are at risk — slight but there — of developing a serious mental disorder. "They have almost a two per cent risk of developing schizophrenia within three years," said Myran. In comparison to the general population, the risk is well below one per cent. Cannabis-induced psychosis had the largest relative increase for hospitalizations, the study said. The increasing potency of cannabis sold now is an important concern given the increased availability, says Romina Mizrahi, a psychiatrist and McGill University professor. (Craig Chivers/CBC) Both genes and environmental factors predispose some people to using cannabis and to developing schizophrenia. Myron said more research is needed to understand the risk, calling it an area that is under-discussed. The increasing potency of cannabis sold after commercialization matters, said Romina Mizrahi, a psychiatrist and professor at McGill University in Montreal. She wasn't involved in the research. If legalization is done correctly, users would receive important information on how much psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) they're ingesting. "When we talk to patients, we explain what this means," Mizrahi said. "We ask them to take a look at what they buy." Weed is stronger than ever, but it might not affect our brains that much: 6 surprising facts about cannabis Canada's giant public health 'experiment' with legalized cannabis begins Using cannabis can also be risky during pregnancy. Myran pointed to a previous study on people treated for cannabis-use disorder in Ontario. The results suggested a doubling in the rate of poor outcomes in newborns among the less than one per cent of pregnancy visits to hospital for cannabis use, compared with cannabis-free pregnancies. Mixed or uncertain The CMAJ paper noted that impaired driving related to cannabis appeared to be the same or slightly down from pre-legalization levels. In B.C., however, the proportion of drivers admitted to hospital after vehicle collisions who tested positive for THC increased after legalization, Fischer and his team said. Impaired driving numbers could be lower as a result people not venturing out of their homes during the COVID pandemic. Myran calls the effects of legalization an unfinished story. Doctors and scientists want better tracking on the demand for treatment for cannabis use disorders and how people may be substituting other substances to get high. Said Myran: "Our data, while not conclusive, is hinting that as the market expands, when you see greater levels of market maturity, new products, that you do see these increases in cannabis harms."
I'd bet the majority of those hospitalizations are just kids getting to high and freaking the fuck out lol. I think most smokers have experienced getting to high and freaked out a bit. Difference is back then you just road it out, wasn't no going to the hospital lol. Sent from my LM-X420 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Now do a study but don't use those who make their living off "cannabis use disorders" to do the research.
I’ll start lending these tales more credit if they report deaths due to this Cannabis “poisoning” instead of visits.
I feel the press are trying to find a way to stir weed up in the media, as a way of telling the politicians 'I told ya so'
There’s these reports too about kids getting into edibles and visiting the hospital for an “overdose” only to walk out. I’m not condoning kids and pot but asking the opposition to be honest isn’t too much.
Wow, almost a 2% risk of developing schizophrenia? I'll take that risk. I would guess the author of that paper has an ax to grind with weed
My niece is one of those kids, she was 6..icu 3 days they couldn't wake her, her kidneys started to shut down..the cookies themselves looked just like a reg small pk of chips ahoy, only they were called chips ahigh..no thc mark on the bag at all..she got up one morning while her mom was still sleeping and just saw them setting on the counter, her being her hungry 6 year old self knew no better and ate the entire bag(1500mg) to herself, but her mom definitely should have known better! When I got to the emergency room her mom was like well she should have asked, she shouldn't have touched it, well bitch that wasn't the case and here we are, dont be blaming the kid because this is all on u, not her! In my opinion none of these edibles should be packaged to look even a bit appealing to kids, and they definitely shouldn't be packaged in almost identical packaging to kids snacks! We're adults and we're the ones supposed to be responsible on having these products in our homes! My boys are older teens(19&16) and I've been smoking their entire lives, Ive talk to them about this stuff through all stages of their growing up, my youngest even helps me with my plants..lol..they've both tried weed with their friends, my oldest hates everything about it(the smell, the taste, the high,everything!!), my youngest says he's not ready for it yet but might experiment again later on..both boys came to me and told me the same day they tried it..and u know what, I couldn't be more proud of them..its up to us as parents to educate our kids on this ourselves, there's too much false info out there for us not too! It's up to us to keep our kids safe!
I couldn’t agree about the senseless packaging. I don’t even get why adults would be drawn to some cartoon pack so I really hope for change there. I’m not saying there’s no risk, but so far pot hasn’t proven to be as dangerous or deadly as those who oppose it would have us believe. I agree with the notion too that adults should be extra responsible with their pot much like anything else that kids shouldn’t get into.
I was in the medical field for 27 years and asked the head of of our local ER and he said in 33 years of emergency medicine, he hadn't seen anything more than severe nausea and dehydration. He said there would be no connection between kidneys shutting down and marijuana unless it had been laced with another more powerful drug. This is in a town of 80,000. So I can't believe the story above...
Not asking u to believe me..just stating what I've witnessed firsthand myself..and yes its possible that dehydration caused her kidneys to act up..I didn't say her kidneys shut down I said 'started to'..and I've also seen grown ass adults have negative affects from these store bought edibles as well but never homemade..I will never buy from dispensary..my one and only time purchasing from dispensary got me nothing but moldy bud..when I took it back to store his words were 'mehh sometimes the shitty stuff gets through too'..at least growing my own I know exactly what I get, we have no clue what some of this legal crap goes through..its a hard pass for me!
Blah blah blah. “But hospitalizations are also on the rise”. No data. No statistics. On the rise. Okay. Sure. These statements have no meaning behind them. None. “On the rise” has EXACTLY the same meaning as “blah blah blah”. Yet the masses read it and think the world is coming to an end because they’re incapable of critical thought. The media knows this. That is why they print it. Then they bring up “poisonings”. This is nothing new of course. A simple Google search will bring up many instances of “marijuana poisonings”. Except… marijuana isn’t poisonous. This is analogous to printing articles on tomato poisonings. It’s not a thing. It’s not real. Just as this entire article isn’t real. I mean… it exists. So in that sense it’s real. But no more real than Spider Man or Batman. In short, it can’t be taken seriously. AT ALL. It’s a joke. It’s entertainment. It’s a work of fiction. Same old garbage and propaganda.
“From his work in public health and as a researcher, Myran said people, mostly young men, commonly show up in emergency departments after using cannabis because they're experiencing withdrawal or are intoxicated but not displaying cannabis-related psychosis.” And there you have it. Thousands are now allegedly going to the hospital for cannabis withdrawal. Good stuff Dr. Myran. It makes me feel good knowing there are so many sources of solid peer reviewed research, and truth.
They used “hospitalizations” instead of hospital “visits” so this pot psychosis must be getting severe.
I don't understand their use of the term "poison". Dictionary definitions say it's a substance that can cause illness or death but that category includes about everything. Drink enough water and it causes illness or death which means water is a poison and about everything else is too. Referring to something as a poison or a toxin is in most instances also like saying blah blah blah. The thing about making a diagnosis is there must be one or the insurance company won't pay. I think that may be why we hear idiots talking about marijuana poisonings and marijuana withdrawal ER visits. That's also why some people get treatment for weed addiction, so treatment centers and therapists can get that insurance money. I bet there isn't too many people who pay cash being diagnosed with weed addiction. If you have to pay cash for treatment, it makes "recovering from weed addiction" without therapy much easier. The girl who was starting to have kidney failure needed a plausible diagnosis so the insurance company would pay for 3 days of intensive care while she slept it off. She wouldn't have been drinking water so she needed IV therapy, otherwise, nothing in nothing out. No water means no pee, no pee means her kidneys aren't producing urine and bada bing, bada boom...kidney failure$$$. I agree with Duff except I'd add people also go to the ER after overdosing with pot because of anxiety related issues such as when they notice their heart rate is 110 and panic which increases it to 130 which is almost never harmful.
You know how much fun it is for a Prohibitionist to point and say POISON! The cops in this region make regular use of the word.
On the little girl(my neice) who's kidneys were starting to fail..was already stated above that it was possibly dehydration! No need for any plausible diagnosis for insurance..we're in Canada..no insurance needed..lol..hospital stays(plus meds/food) are covered by mcp(medical care plan) no out of pocket pay from patients
Even in Canada a diagnosis is required for hospital admissions. Most of your doctors still bill the government for the services they provide and they can't send a bill if there is no diagnosis. When your niece was treated, the hospital sent a bill to the government for her treatment and I guarantee you that bill included her diagnosis or it wouldn't have been paid.
Thats not how the system works..lmao..as long as ur in hospital ALL bills are covered..only thing u pay is parking/ambulance. .lmfao..even prescription meds u pay out of pocket for outside of hospital are all covered if ur admitted in for multiple days..u don't even need to bring ur meds from home..lol..our medical care plan (paid for by tax payers) takes care of EVERYTHING!! no matter what ur in for..lol..but certain doctors(like dentist, dermatologist, chiropractor, etc) charge for procedures..which in turn insurance covers either all or partial but any hospital visit/stay is 100% free, diagnosis or not..lol..as long as ur a Canadian with valid mcp card, which EVERY Canadian is entitled to..lol