New research shows that using cannabis puts you at a higher risk for serious health problems, so it shouldn’t be used for fun by the general population.
According to new research in the open-access journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research, recreational cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of receiving emergency care and being admitted to the hospital for any reason.
Based on their findings, Canadian researchers are now advocating for more regulation on the growing number of people who use cannabis for fun around the world because it has been reclassified as a legal drug in many countries. It’s not as harmless as some people might think, they say.
Cannabis is the most often used mind-altering drug worldwide.
Even though cannabis has the same kinds and amounts of volatile compounds and tar as tobacco—compounds that are linked to the development of smoking-related airway diseases—the evidence about how it hurts respiratory health is not clear and is hotly debated.
In order to learn more about what was going on, researchers looked at how many people went to the emergency room or were admitted to the hospital for reasons related to their respiratory health after taking the drug.
The researchers combined data from a national health survey and health records for 35,114 Ontario people aged 12 to 65 between January 2009 and December 2015. Ontario is the most populous and ethnically diverse province in Canada.
According to 31 parameters, those who acknowledged to using cannabis over the preceding 12 months (4,087) were matched up to three people who indicated they had never used it or had only once in the past 12 months (10,395).
Personal information, a number of physical and mental health conditions, signs of general healthcare use, prior ER visits or hospital admissions for respiratory health issues, a history of tobacco use, problem drinking, other substance abuse, prior contact with a respiratory clinician, prior lung function testing, prior prescription medication use for a respiratory problem, and a prior flu shot were some of these.
Up to 12 months after the date of cannabis usage reporting, emergency room visits, hospital admissions for any reason, and deaths from any cause were evaluated.
The odds of visiting the ER or being admitted to the hospital for a respiratory problem were not substantially different between the two groups, according to the data analysis.
No significant differences between the two groups were found when the data were further divided by gender, past hospital care for a respiratory condition, smoking, and a diagnosis of asthma or COPD.
However, the likelihood of hospital admission or admission to the emergency department for any reason was 22% higher among cannabis users. Additionally, respiratory conditions ranked second (14%) after severe trauma (15%).
Since this study is an observational one, it cannot determine the cause. Furthermore, the researchers admit that they were unable to distinguish between medical and recreational cannabis use, potency and amount, or whether cannabis was consumed or smoked.
Additionally, rather than doing an objective analysis of cannabis use, the study relied on individual recall.
“Further research is needed to confirm our findings,” said the team noting, “but our results suggest that cannabis use is associated with increased risk for serious adverse health events, and therefore, its recreational consumption in the general population should be discouraged.”
Image Credit: Getty
You were reading: The Most Commonly Used Mind-altering Drug Sending People To Hospital – New Research