Cannabis
Excerpts from the American Journal of Public Health article entitled, “Current Cannabis Use in the United States: Implications for Public Health Research”:
“Although cannabis use alone is rarely associated with a fatal overdose, its use can lead to a range of short- and long-term adverse cognitive, psychological, and physical outcomes11—especially if regular and heavy use is initiated in adolescence and young adulthood.22 In the short term, this includes impairments in memory, concentration, coordination, judgment, and reaction time as well as an increased risk of acute mood and anxiety disorders and psychotic episodes characterized by paranoia, delusions, and hallucinations.11 In the long term, this includes increased cardiovascular and pulmonary disease risk; pregnancy and neonatal outcomes such as premature birth, lower birth weight, and neonatal intensive care admissions; stunted brain development and longer-term cognitive impairment; lower educational attainment; diminished motivation and life satisfaction; and psychosis and psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia.11,22
There are also collateral impacts of cannabis use associated with drug-impaired driving and workplace safety.11 Hultgren et al. (p. S698) briefly describe recent trends in driving under the influence of cannabis and alcohol among young adults in Washington State. Evoy and Victoroff (p. S645) describe a varying prevalence of cannabis use among US workers by demographics and industry and occupation. Understanding these differences can help guide prevention efforts.”