A growing number of marijuana users in the U.S. are experiencing severe health problems (Article)

[entremet]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/04/health/marijuana-weed-addiction-psychosis-vomiting.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Pk4.M5km.fhXCQ9v2J1wl&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

As marijuana legalization spreads across the country, people are consuming more of the drug, more often and at ever-higher potencies. Most of the tens of millions of people using marijuana, for health benefits or for fun, don't experience problems. But a growing number, mainly heavy users, have experienced addiction, psychosis and other harmful effects, The New York Times found.

"Cannabis is a lot of things at once," said Dr. Kevin Gray, a psychiatrist and specialist in bio-behavioral medicine at Medical University of South Carolina Health. "It can be medically therapeutic. It also can be highly problematic."

In interviews and surveys, hundreds of people told The Times about serious — sometimes frightening — symptoms that they were stunned to learn could be caused by cannabis. Here are some of their stories.

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David Krumholtz, an actor known for films like "10 Things I Hate About You" and TV shows like "Numb3rs," resumed smoking marijuana in 2016, after a decade-long break. Within months, he started to experience cycles of intense nausea and vomiting — a sometimes debilitating condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. It can lead to dehydration, seizures, kidney failure, cardiac arrest and even death in rare instances.

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Interesting article. I'm pro legalization myself, but the issue with cannabis, is that it lacks the extensive peer reviewed research due to its long time illegality.

Hopefully, as legalization continues, that we learn more about the drug so folks can make informed decisions.

Moreover, like anything, it's a bell curve. We don't know how common these adverse affects are due to lack of research.

Larger article. It's a series:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/04/us/cannabis-marijuana-risks-addiction.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Pk4.qgml.iXhYQuEN62rv&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

Reporting methodology:

About 18 million people — nearly a third of all users ages 18 and up — have reported symptoms of cannabis use disorder, according to estimates from a unique data analysis conducted for The Times by a Columbia University epidemiologist. That would mean they continue to use the drug despite significant negative effects on their lives. Of those, about three million people are considered addicted.

The estimates are based on responses to the 2022 U.S. national drug use survey from people who reported any cannabis consumption within the previous year. The results are especially stark among 18- to 25-year-olds: More than 4.5 million use the drug daily or near daily, according to the estimates, and 81 percent of those users meet the criteria for the disorder.

"That means almost everybody that uses it every day is reporting problems with it," said Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who was not involved in the analysis. "That is a very clear warning sign."

Marijuana is known for soothing nausea. But for some users, it has the opposite effect.

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[Rezzzz]

It's time for another weed legalization debate ig

 

[Azzazel]

So i guess we are reaching the "cigarettes are actually bad" phase with marihuana.

 

[Scuffed]

Moderation is the key. Of the 3 examples in the article 2 of them were of people using obscene amounts. Like smoking all day constantly lol.

While working a data-entry job at home in Richfield, Utah, during the pandemic, Annika Sheehan escalated her use of high-potency cannabis concentrates, eventually smoking every 15 minutes.

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Like wtf every 15 minutes?

 

[Mobius and Pet Octopus]

I've always been pro legalization, but think too many people are ignorant that there can be downsides and negative health consequences due to consumption. I think part of it is just people taking extreme stances, but I hate people's lack of openness to nuance nonetheless.

The other important thing to note is that the way you consume it matters too. Inhalation vs ingestion.

 

[Orayn]

I want to put a lot of blame on those super high potency carts, they have enormous amounts of THC relative to how easy they are to use.

I stick with dry herb vapes with a tiny bowl myself.

 

[entremet]

I've always been pro legalization, but think too many people are ignorant that there can be downsides and negative health consequences due to consumption. I think part of it is just people taking extreme stances, but I hate people's lack of openness to nuance nonetheless.

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Yeah, tobacco and alcohol both have public health warnings due to decades of research.

There's been new research with alcohol showing it's a class 1 carcinogen too.

 

[Rosebud]

Unlike a lot of people believe, weed is not that inoffensive. It should be legalized but it has problems and they should be advertised like for alcohol.

 

[shintoki]

I mean... smoke in lungs is probably never a good thing. I don't see why weed would be an exception.

 

[jdmc13]

I've always been and still am pro-legalization, but if people think it isn't bad for your health, I don't know what to tell you.

 

[entremet]

Unlike a lot of people believe, weed is not that inoffensive. It should be legalized but it has problems and they should be advertised like for alcohol.

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There been a lot of naturalistic fallacy with cannabis unfortunately.

I want to put a lot of blame on those super high potency carts, they have enormous amounts of THC relative to how easy they are to use.

I stick with dry herb vapes with a tiny bowl myself.

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The lede also says high potency strains too.

 

[Faceless_Caesar]

Unlike a lot of people believe, weed is not that inoffensive. It should be legalized but it has problems and they should be advertised like for alcohol.

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Yeah weed culture loves to bring that up. The government is also at fault here because you really couldn't do any studies to verify or debunk these claims because of how it was classified.

It's a vice like any other but people should be able to live a little if they can use it responsibly.

 

[Lost Lemurian]

This entire article is a textbook example of why we don't rely on anecdotal evidence.

 

[Lobster Roll]

Like wtf every 15 minutes?

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I used to play Warzone with a guy who at the start of every single match would hit his bong. As the little pre-game airplane part played out, I'd hear the faint sound of the bubbling water. Every. Single. Round.

 

[Mobius and Pet Octopus]

Between forms of use, I'd imagine smoking is the worst even though I enjoy the ritual from my younger days of lighting one up.

I found that while vaping is super convenient, it's also super convenient to built a high tolerance and you end up taking in more and more over time without even realizing it.

I find ingestion is easiest to control and avoid building up a tolerance by mistake. It also doesn't mess up your lungs.

But now rarely use these days. It was fun for like a year and I kind of got over it. It's been at least a year since I consumed any THC.

 

[DanteMenethil]

Everything taken in excess is bad for you

 

[CHC]

It's kind of a painful to say it as a big leftist who is pro-weed, but there is a ton of problematic weed use and people need to understand it's an actual psychoactive drug not like... incense. Even though I don't smoke it and I actually hate the smell and the culture of it, I just hate seeing it used as a cudgel to imprison minorities.

But we definitely need some more education about it. I see a lot of people smoking up at 7:30 AM on the subway platform. That's a problem. If they were drinking little 50mL bottles of vodka instead we'd see that as pretty much a total social decay, but somehow with weed it's shrugged off.

I mean there's definitely worse problems in the world and sometimes I feel like a total square looking around and being like "am I the crazy one!?" with the weed stuff. A lot of people are just straight up using the way that addicts use whatever their substance of choice is, mindless consumption just to get through daily life. That needs examination.

 

[Maso]

Thought this was going to be about the stuff commercial growers are spraying on it these days.

Negative psychoactive / psychosis like symptoms, among other things, in obscene doses has been long time known🤷‍♂️

Not to imply Marijuana isn't incredibley under researched.

 

[JustTeaThankYou]

Inhaling smoke of any type for long periods of time is bad for you. I don't think that's a particularly radical statement.

I think that's orthoganal to the harms of what you're combusting into a carcinogen, pre setting it on fire.

 

[BWoog]

Is this article just about smoking THC? I feel like I haven't really heard of adverse effects of edibles and such.

 

[Dyle]

Who could have ever predicted that legalizing a drug without clear health and safety regulations and public education campaigns would result in some serious harm from misuse?

 

[entremet]

Inhaling smoke of any type for long periods of time is bad for you. I don't think that's a particularly radical statement.

I think that's orthoganal to the harms of what you're combusting into a carcinogen, pre setting it on fire.

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Well the symptoms reported are more than just smoke and cardiovascular related.

 

[TaySan]

Moderation is the key for everything. Too much of anything is bad for your health.

 

[HylianSeven]

Inhaling smoke of any type for long periods of time is bad for you. I don't think that's a particularly radical statement.

I think that's orthoganal to the harms of what you're combusting into a carcinogen, pre setting it on fire.

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Yeah. I have never tried it myself (and due to my personal situation likely never will), but just the idea of smoking ANYTHING sounds unpleasant and unfun. I would try edibles if it were not for my personal situation though.

 

[entremet]

Who could have ever predicted that legalizing a drug without clear health and safety regulations and public education campaigns would result in some serious harm from misuse?

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Self inflicted. It was illegal for so long so comprehensive studies were impossible.

 

[Omegasquash]

Marijuana isn't for everybody. It's not for a lot of people, in fact.

But I feel like we've known a lot about what's in the article for some time now.

 

[krazen]

I mean; issue is that marijuana was so demonized where it was sold as an equivalent to heroin the pushback has always been 'absolutely harmless' which makes sense when it was used as an excuse to increase the police state, but now its looking inevitable that it will be the law of the land it requires some rational discussion because we are at a place to have it.

There should be notices that it can be mentally addictive, can cause bad mental health reactions if you have some underlying possibly undiagnosed issue, it can easily make you 'impaired' to where you shouldn't be driving etc

 

[Hollywood Duo]

Yeah like alcohol using it too much is not good

 

[Twister]

I will never argue against legalization because the war on drugs has proved ineffective and has just needlessly antagonized and jailed people who need help.

That said, I never bought into the "weed has no downsides" narrative either. I've personally seen with my own eyes many people become completely obsessed with it and borderline made it their entire personality. I've had multiple people tell me it has induced panic attacks as well. There's something there.

 

[Jiraiya]

It really shouldn't be surprising that using something in excess has negative results.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Self inflicted. It was illegal for so long so comprehensive studies were impossible.

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Yeeep. The red tape around actually studying this was so fucking frustrating.

 

[FrostweaveBandage]

Smoking anything is terrible for you. There's no getting past the damage inhaling fumes will do.

 

[RobotHaus]

So people using a drug in high quantities tend to be feeling the side effects? I'm shocked.

It says those who don't use it nearly as much aren't affected. I wonder what it's like for those who smoke cigarettes in that frequency or bringe drink.

 

[GulfCoastZilla]

After 15+ years of smoking weed 5 times a day everyday. I definitely developed panic and anxiety attacks.

I took a 8 year break from weed, now I only hit the purest of the pure resin out of a dab pen. One hit will last me like 6 hours.

I don't like to get "high" I just like a small buzz.

Marijuana remains a life saver for my stomach issues.

 

[bremon]

It really shouldn't be surprising that using something in excess has negative results.

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Exactly this. I can enjoy a glass of wine or a pint. 2 bottles or a dozen pints, not so much.

 

[Sol C. Johnson]

As someone who used to smoke a lot, my dealer once baked a whole cake for me lol.

That every 15 min is an insane amount. Their tolerance must have been threw the roof. How can you even tell when your high anymore?

 

[GYODX]

Now that we're past the legalization debate (which never should've been a debate in the first place), we can start to focus on research and education on what responsible use looks like.

 

[404LinkNotFound]

I know the thread is treating this as a "yeah duh" but i feel like its not that obvious to alot of people cuz some people promote weed as a wonder drug with no downsides

 

[Patriiick]

There should be notices that it can be mentally addictive, can cause bad mental health reactions if you have some underlying possibly undiagnosed issue, it can easily make you 'impaired' to where you shouldn't be driving etc

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Are there not notices that you shouldn't get high and then operate a vehicle? That's like top of the list isn't it?

(Not being facetious or owt, I don't live in the US and doubt it'll ever be legal in the UK in my lifetime with the kind of political parties we have.)

 

[Scuffed]

I used to play Warzone with a guy who at the start of every single match would hit his bong. As the little pre-game airplane part played out, I'd hear the faint sound of the bubbling water. Every. Single. Round.

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Ya that's nuts. Sadly this kind of constant smoking might be pretty common. I buy 3.5g pouches and it takes me like a month and half to 2 months to get through it so I buy top shelf stuff. Because I buy so infrequently I always look up reviews of current strains on Reddit. When reading posts I often see people talking about how expensive a bud is or not and how an Ounce would be too expensive and that they buy like an ounce or two a month! So they buy cheaper strains. That is so much weed to smoke in a month let alone 2 weeks.

 

[entremet]

So people using a drug in high quantities tend to be feeling the side effects? I'm shocked.

It says those who don't use it nearly as much aren't affected. I wonder what it's like for those who smoke cigarettes in that frequency or bringe drink.

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That's the thing, some people can't do moderation. We see this is the alcohol use disorder world. That said we have more data on alcohol than cannabis.

I drink alcohol but I have some ppl in my family that can't.

 

[Sol C. Johnson]

Are there not notices that you shouldn't get high and then operate a vehicle? That's like top of the list isn't it?

(Not being facetious or owt, I don't live in the US and doubt it'll ever be legal in the UK in my lifetime with the kind of political parties we have.)

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I know people that think they drive better when they are stoned.

 

[Mindfreak191]

I actually started smoking weed pretty late, basically the first time I tried an edible was when I was 29 which was in 2021. Can't say that I'm fully addicted, but I did have periods where I heavily misused it and that was during my transitional period between having to leave NYC and being back in my home country before leaving for Germany, and that was mostly because I didn't have shit to do back home and no friends around anymore (they all moved to other countries). Now that I'm in Germany and with the recent legalization I got myself medicinal weed prescribed. There are months where I vape every night (I even got a fancy vaporizer so I don't have to mix it with tobacco cause I fucking hate smoking joints), and there are months where I just don't. I mostly use it out of pure boredom and to reset my sleep cycle after doing nightshifts. But yeah, I have no clue how folks just wake and bake and then go through their day, for me turning on my vape means I'm done with all the stuff that I needed to do for the day and I can relax, listen to music and play some games. Ironically enough, it really helps to enhance the taste of healthy food lol. Things can definitely spiral out of control if one doesn't pull the brakes, it's easy to become demotivated and overeat on junk food which then leads to just gaining a ton of weight. But, as of right now, I'm killing it at my job, gym and in general lol.

 

[maigret]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/04/health/marijuana-weed-addiction-psychosis-vomiting.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Pk4.M5km.fhXCQ9v2J1wl&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

David Krumholtz, an actor known for films like "10 Things I Hate About You" and TV shows like "Numb3rs," resumed smoking marijuana in 2016, after a decade-long break. Within months, he started to experience cycles of intense nausea and vomiting — a sometimes debilitating condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. It can lead to dehydration, seizures, kidney failure, cardiac arrest and even death in rare instances.

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Bernard the Head Shop Elf

 

[red_shift_ltd]

In interviews and surveys, hundreds of people told The Times about serious — sometimes frightening — symptoms that they were stunned to learn could be caused by cannabis.

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Cites 3 examples. Come on NYT!

If someone drank alcohol with the same frequency it would cause similar ill health effects.
How is it that because it's cannabis you can just use it during work or driving and that's ok? It's also illegal to be in an altered state when driving and I'm sure everyone's job has a thing in the employee handbook saying it's a fire-able offense.

I'm not on the 'well alcohol is just as bad or worse' train but NYT is just reporting the usual 'new is bad' stuff here with not much evidence except extremely heavy use by a few people.

 

[entremet]

Added a larger article in the OP. It's way more comprehensive. It's a series.

Cites 3 stories. Comeon NYT!

If someone drank alcohol with the same frequency it would cause similar ill health effects.
How is it that because it's cannabis you can just use it during work or driving and that's ok? It's also illegal to be in an altered state when driving and I'm sure everyone's job has a thing in the employee handbook saying it's a fire-able offense.

I'm not on the 'well alcohol is just as bad or worse' train but NYT is just reporting the usual 'new is bad' stuff here with not much evidence except extremely heavy use by a few people.

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Added a bigger article. It's much bigger! Interviews doctors and researchers too.

 

[CrashBash]

Smoking anything is bad for your lungs, straight up. Also consuming literally any substance in high quantities can be bad for your health.

 

[Rosebud]

Moderation is the key for everything. Too much of anything is bad for your health.

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Some people can't have any as it can increase the risk of serious mental ilness. The problem is that it's almost impossible to know if you're one of them.

We need a lot more research so we can know how to use it safely.

 

[Gunny T Highway]

I mean smoke of any kind whether it is cigarette, marijuana, fire or general smog is of course not good for your lungs in the long term. And consuming any substance in large amounts for a long enough period will cause an addiction.

 

[Fisty]

People can be addicted to anything, and anything can worsen a person's mental health if underlying issues exist. This is simply more people have easy access to MJ so of course a lot of correlation is going to happen