Higher rates of depression and addiction have been linked to the broad social experiment that legalizing marijuana in 2012 sparked. The Biden administration has decided to take the first step toward federal decriminalization by proposing to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.
Many people get relief from their pain and anxiety after using marijuana, but it has also been related to psychological problems. The prevalence of significant depression among those with cannabis use disorder was 41%, and the majority of bipolar illness among those who used marijuana chronically increased by 4. The use of highly concentrated cannabis vapes has also been connected to psychotic episodes, suicidal ideation, and suicide.
Schizophrenia and psychotic episodes have both been linked to long-term cannabis usage. Dr. Nora Volkow, who heads the federal National Institute on Drug Abuse, has pushed for more drug availability regulations. As laws around marijuana have been more lax, a clandestine market for very potent strains and vapes has formed, and many consumers have become hooked. Addiction dangers are rising as the medication becomes more widely available and potent.
Daily or chronic marijuana usage harms sleep quality and general health. Adults who have used cannabis 20+ times in the last month have been proven to sleep less than six hours per night and more than nine hours per night. Thirty-nine percent of daily marijuana users meet the criteria for clinical insomnia, compared to twenty percent of non-users. Consistent cannabis use during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of serious problems, including stillbirths, premature deliveries, and developmental delays in the child. Attention, social, and behavioral issues in early adolescence have been linked to prenatal cannabis exposure beyond weeks five to six.
Medical researchers at Stanford University established a correlation between heavy cannabis usage and an increased risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD), the most prevalent cardiovascular disease that may ultimately result in heart failure. Marijuana usage is associated with increased heart rate and blood pressure, both risk factors for coronary artery disease.
Millions of Americans regularly and responsibly use marijuana to enhance their quality of life. Patients undergoing chemotherapy have discovered that taking this supplement helps them feel less sick and more hungry, which allows them to avoid losing weight unintentionally. Multiple sclerosis patients who use cannabis report less pain.
