Church of God News

In midcoast Maine, a pediatrician sees teenagers so dependent on cannabis that they consume it practically all day, every day — “a remarkably scary amount,” she said.

From Washington State to West Virginia, psychiatrists treat rising numbers of people whose use of the drug has brought on delusions, paranoia and other symptoms of psychosis.

And in the emergency departments of small community hospitals and large academic medical centers alike, physicians encounter patients with severe vomiting induced by the drug — a potentially devastating condition that once was rare but now, they say, is common. “Those patients look so sick,” said a doctor in Ohio, who described them “writhing around in pain.”

As marijuana legalization has accelerated across the country, doctors are contending with the effects of an explosion in the use of the drug and its intensity. A $33 billion industry has taken root, turning out an ever-expanding range of cannabis products so intoxicating they bear little resemblance to the marijuana available a generation ago. Tens of millions of Americans use the drug, for medical or recreational purposes — most of them without problems.

But with more people consuming more potent cannabis more often, a growing number, mostly chronic users, are enduring serious health consequences.

The accumulating harm is broader and more severe than previously reported. And gaps in state regulations, limited public health messaging and federal restraints on research have left many consumers, government officials and even medical practitioners in the dark about such outcomes.

Again and again, The New York Times found dangerous misconceptions.

Many users believe, for instance, that people cannot become addicted to cannabis. But millions do.

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.

Debilitating and Undiagnosed

A telltale sign of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome is that heat often temporarily relieves the nausea and vomiting. Hundreds of people recounted to The Times, in interviews and survey responses, that they had spent hour after hour in hot baths and showers. Some were burned by scalding water. One teenager was injured when, in desperation, he pressed his body against a hot car.

Researchers don’t know why heat soothes the syndrome, known as C.H.S., nor why certain chronic marijuana users develop it and others don’t. But the onset appears to be related to the way marijuana interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system, a network of signaling molecules and receptors that help regulate vital functions like sleep, digestion and the perception of pain. People with severe symptoms frequently require emergency care. …

In recent years, the syndrome has received growing attention in the medical field. Among those who speak out about it is Dr. Ethan Russo, a neurologist in Vashon, Wash., who helped develop one of the few cannabis-derived drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and continues to research therapeutic benefits of marijuana.

“I spent most of the last 30 years supporting medicinal uses of cannabis,” he said. “However, I have also talked about the harms and pitfalls of cannabis, specifically cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. It’s a serious problem and a genuine reason that some people should not use.”

‘Like He Was Possessed’

Dr. Sharon Levy, chief of addiction medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, had a patient who believed coat hangers and sneakers had come to life. Dr. Luke Archibald, an addiction psychiatrist at Dartmouth Health in Lebanon, N.H., treated one who was charged with trespassing after following the directions of voices he hallucinated.

Many physicians said that they have seen growing numbers of patients with cannabis-induced temporary psychosis — lasting hours, days or even months. While it is more common among younger consumers, it can afflict people of all ages, whether heavy or first-time users, and with or without a family history or other risk factors for psychosis.

Dr. Levy and other physicians have also seen a rise in chronic psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, in which they believe cannabis was a contributing factor. As America’s Marijuana Use Grows, So Do the Risks – The New York Times (nytimes.com)