Legal or illegal, Marijuana is anything but benign
Illinois is what I would call a pot-friendly state.
Sales at the state's 113 dispensaries reached a record $1.5 billion in 2022 and added $462 million in tax revenue to the state's coffers. A first in the nation, Illinois is in the process of expunging an estimated 700,000 marijuana-related police records and court convictions. The state also expanded access to medical marijuana and is supporting the growth of the cannabis industry.
Marijuana advocates say it was about time. But now, many medical experts and studies are suggesting that legalizing the recreational consumption of marijuana and its active ingredients was not a win-win for public health.
I'm not anti-pot. Occasional recreational use appears to be relatively safe. It does have its therapeutic uses, and I've seen some of my clients find pain relief with medical marijuana. There are even programs that substitute marijuana for prescription pain-relieving opioids -- though the research isn't yet conclusive that more marijuana use leads to fewer opioid overdoses.
However, overuse and misuse are hurting children, pregnant women and their babies, studies tell us. One study notes that people who regularly use pot don't realize until they stop how foggy their brains have become.
As I like to say, knowledge is power. Let's take a look at some of the major concerns, and what can be done to address them.
THC edibles
Ryan Gill, an 11-year-old New Yorker, was acting strangely after he and his mom returned home from a Super Bowl party. It turned out he had snacked on some harmless-looking gummies during the party that were actually laced with tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the primary psychoactive cannabinoid.
In December, three Chicago teenagers were hospitalized after they overdosed on THC edibles.
There were 3,054 pediatric cases of children ingesting THC in 2021, an increase of 1,375% over 2017. Only three kids in Cook County were hospitalized for a THC overdose in 2017; in 2021, the number was 124. Children are very susceptible to THC because their developing brains and bodies are smaller.
To make matters worse, many edibles masquerade as popular candies (such as Skittles and Starbursts), cookies and brownies -- all attractive to children. Some states are trying to crack down on these look-alikes, which often come in colorful packages with small warnings about the contents.
Like all household chemicals, THC edibles need to be kept out of children's reach, and if a child does ingest some, call the Illinois Poison Center right away at (800) 222-1222, even if symptoms haven't emerged.
Adolescence and pregnancy
Mounting research points to health harms from cannabis, THC and CBD use during pregnancy, adolescence and other periods of rapid development, wrote Hilary Marusak, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Wayne State University, in a March 2023 article.
A growing number of studies link prenatal cannabis exposure to greater risk of preterm birth, lower birth weight and psychiatric and behavioral problems in children -- not unlike the effects of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Effects may last well into childhood.
Research is also showing that the developing adolescent brain is particularly susceptible to the effects of cannabis and other substances. Compared with those who did not use pot during the teenage years, those who started during adolescence are at increased risk of depression, thoughts of suicide and even reductions in IQ. Again, the effects can last into adulthood.
Dependence and overdose
The concentration of THC in today's marijuana and edibles is significantly higher than that used in earlier decades. That means the risk is greater for dependence and accidental poisoning. Whether smoked or ingested, THC can cause:
• Increased heart rate
• Increased appetite
• Redness in the eyes (from expanded blood vessels)
• Distorted sense of time
• Poor coordination
• Difficulty with memory
• Trouble thinking clearly
• Mood and perception changes
Edibles are particularly sneaky. Our bodies don't react as quickly to edible THC as they do to smoked marijuana because the drug needs time to work its way through the digestive system. Someone may take a 5 milligram edible, not feel anything, and then take some more, only to suffer an overdose.
The signs of a THC overdose include chest pain, nausea, vomiting, trouble breathing and severe anxiety. There's no way to reverse an overdose; the effects have to wear off. Meanwhile, relax and drink plenty of water, but if the symptoms persist, call 911.
Marijuana use, long a part of our culture, will continue to grow because of legalization. Like alcohol, it can damage your health and that of your child, so be aware of the risks and reduce them as much as you can.
