IS MARIJUANA MEDICINE?
While some components of the cannabis plant may have medicinal properties, this is different than medicine.1 Medicines are made in laboratories where compounds are extracted, tested, standardized (meaning the substance will do the same thing every time) and dosages determined.
Some states have legalized medical marijuana, and the term is often marketed as applying to the whole unprocessed marijuana plant or its crude extracts. However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates and approves all medicines, has not approved the cannabis plant or marijuana for any medical use.
A chemical found in the cannabis plant called cannabidiol (CBD) has been approved for treating seizures caused by two rare and severe forms of epilepsy in children. The FDA also approved several medicines made in pill form from synthetic THC, which can cause anxiety, paranoia, impaired memory and dizziness when taken over a long period of time or in high doses. More long-term studies are needed to fully understand the effects of both compounds on mental and physical health.
MARKETING MARIJUANA
Marketing marijuana as medicine has changed the perception of the drug, but the basic facts about its dangers remain. And while the debate over legalization presses on, legal does not equal safe or harmless. Cigarettes are legal, but there is no debate about the fact that smoking is a health risk. Alcohol is legal, but look at the number of people battling alcohol addiction or illnesses associated with alcohol abuse. Heroin was once sold as a cure for morphine addiction and included in cough syrup until research caught up with the marketing and found it to be highly addictive.
The bottom line: smoking marijuana can damage a person’s lungs and cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels) and, whether smoked, vaped or eaten, the THC in marijuana has damaging effects on the mind and body.2
HOW MARIJUANA AFFECTS DRIVING
Marijuana significantly impairs judgment, motor coordination and reaction time—all crucial skills for driving safely. It is the second most common psychoactive substance after alcohol found among drivers involved in crashes, and studies have found a direct relationship between blood THC content and impaired driving ability.3
Two European studies found that drivers with THC in their systems were roughly twice as likely to be at fault for a fatal crash than drivers who had not used drugs or alcohol. Similarly, crashes involving drivers with higher levels of THC in their blood showed they were three to seven times more likely to be responsible for the accident. While many marijuana users believe they can drive safely after smoking, the risks are significant.4
A report from the American Automobile Association (AAA) revealed that the number of drivers testing positive for marijuana after fatal crashes in Washington State doubled following legalization of marijuana. Before legalization, marijuana-impaired drivers accounted for around 8.8 percent of all drivers involved in traffic fatalities; this rate more than doubled after legalization.5
REFERENCES
- Cannabis (Marijuana) and Cannabinoids: What You Need to Know, National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- Do You Have the Heart for Marijuana? October 26, 2020, The New York Times
- Drug Facts, Drugged Driving, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse
- What the Research Shows about Marijuana and Driving, July 2020, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse
- Fatal Crashes Involving Drivers Who Test Positive for Marijuana Increase after State Legalizes Drug, January 30, 2020, AAA Newsroom
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