The Impact of Long-Term Medical Cannabis Use
- One of the studies published this year brings interesting conclusions that will interest both recreational cannabis users and patients using cannabis therapeutically
The study proving the safety of medical cannabis was conducted on a total of 1,000 New Zealand citizens and lasted a full 40 years. Some participants reported consistent cannabis use for over 20 years, but according to scientists, this did not affect their physical well-being.
Their lung function did not worsen, blood pressure did not increase, diabetes did not develop, and apart from the aforementioned higher risk of gum disease, cannabis consumption did not cause them any physical problems.
"A tobacco smoking study we conducted in exactly the same way shows completely different results," says Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University and study lead author Madeline Meier. "Although studies show a certain increased chance of gum disease (this phenomenon was observed especially in people aged 26 to 38), there is no other evidence of long-term cannabis use health impacts that would be similar to long-term tobacco consumption."
"From a certain perspective, it is necessary to acknowledge that cannabis consumption may somewhat damage health. However, these are very likely not significant consequences," says study co-founder, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, Avshalom Caspi.
"Heavy cannabis consumption naturally has certain adverse effects on the human body, but in this study, we did not observe any serious, long-lasting damage."
Interestingly, in certain states (especially in the USA), where cannabis is now legally available, insurance companies are beginning to separate tobacco smokers' profiles from those using cannabis for therapeutic purposes. This change was achieved especially through studies showing significant differences between the consequences of smoking cannabis and tobacco.
Insurance experts respond to this change as follows: "The fact that many insurance companies have changed the status of medical cannabis users to non-smokers clearly shows how deeply awareness of cannabis safety has penetrated.
If it were not absolutely clear that cannabis is much safer compared to tobacco, none of today's corporate insurance companies would risk this change," says Paul Walker, Dean of the Social and Administrative Pharmacy Division at the University of Toronto. (Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto).
Cancer: The Core of the Problem
At the core of the entire debate around smoking tobacco and cannabis stands a long-term question about the impact of these substances on human DNA.
In the summer of this year, a rather bizarre study from the University of Western Australia was published. The study was released in a scientific journal of mutation research and suggests that cannabis smoking can cause DNA mutations in future offspring of users and thus cause cancer development in early life. Experts on cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system immediately responded with harsh criticism of this study.
It turned out that no recognized testing methods were used to achieve these results. Researchers simply used results from other studies to draw their own conclusions. "It's all based on personal interpretation and lies. This study did not incorporate many critical variables, which makes it a completely unreliable mess," says Dr. Ethan Russo, former advisor to GW Pharmaceuticals.
In the end, all recreational users and patients can sleep soundly, because what we know almost certainly is that smoking cannabis will not harm you even in the long term, and the only thing you should pay attention to is the health of your gums.
And what about you, our readers? Do you have experience with long-term medical cannabis use? Share your opinions and experiences in the comments section!