A federal advisory panel released its conclusions about the use of marijuana, which was associated with reducing chronic pain and the potential to aid in sleeping but was also found to play a part in increasing risks for schizophrenia and heart attacks.
In a report released on Thursday, efforts across the country are being asked to obtain more concrete details about marijuana and its chemical components, including cannabinoids. The document from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine states that using weak evidence to make medical claims can pose “a public health risk.”
In particular, a collective effort among health care professionals, patients, and government officials should gain more access to concrete evidence for effective decision making. Committee head Dr. Marie McCormick from the Harvard School of Public Health stated that “there’s very little guide to them,” referring to users of marijuana or for individuals considering the use of such plant for medicinal purposes. Extensive research has not been made possible due to a number of limiting factors, including lack of government support for paying studies on potential marijuana harms as well as a small range of marijuana products made available to be tested and explored.
According to the review, marijuana has been linked to the treatment of adults’ chronic pain while similar compounds, including cannabinoids, are capable of reducing nausea brought on by chemotherapy. As for stiffness of the muscles and spasms in multiple sclerosis, varying levels of evidence were found.
Limited evidence led to the conclusion that marijuana use can result in increased appetite among HIV/AIDS patients as well as the decrease in symptoms relating to post-traumatic stress disorder. On the other hand, there were no conclusions regarding the effect of marijuana use on the treatment of cancers, epilepsy, irritable bowel syndrome and Parkinson’s disease.
On the other hand, potential harms of marijuana use as suggested by strong evidence include increased risks of developing schizophrenia as well as other causes of psychosis. These are strongly associated with individuals who use marijuana on a regular basis. A moderate number of studies also suggested that depressive disorders could develop among users, although there is no evidence on how marijuana affects the course of these conditions.
Marijuana use effects could also include an increased risk of traffic accident, particularly its intake prior to driving. However, there is no established relationship between marijuana use and workplace accidents. Death caused by marijuana overdose has not been proven as well.
There is weak evidence linking pregnant marijuana smokers with pregnancy complications, including the need for the infant to be admitted to intensive care. There is also a lack of evidence to indicate whether marijuana use can adversely affect the baby later in life.
No relationships between marijuana smoking and lung cancer as well as with other types of cancer (e.g. prostate, bladder, cervix, esophagus) were established. However, strong evidence has linked marijuana use with adverse respiratory symptoms and increased incidents of chronic bronchitis. For people with a high risk of developing heart disease, a weak relationship between marijuana smoking and heart attacks was found.
Finally, some evidence pointed towards a possible link between marijuana use and the development of a dependence on alcohol, tobacco and/or illegal drugs.
