Where we live marijuana has been easily available and used by many for at least 50 years. There should be vast amounts of data available to evaluate the health consequences of the drug. But most of the info we have is still anecdotal in nature. Why?
My wife is a retired nurse, and I am a retired fire officer. We both know and have known many long-term users in addition to our experiences responding and treating those with health issues related to marijuana.
For whatever reason... marijuana has been portrayed by the media, and entertainment industries as a nearly harmless substance with many health benefits. The negative consequences are almost never addressed.
What are these negative consequences? They vary from minor to severe mental health problems to minor and severe physical health problems. We also are subjected to risks especially on the road from people who are driving while under the influence of a psychoactive drug.
And one of the problems these days that is sometimes left out of the conversation is that the potency of the marijuana products being sold both legally and illegally is now so much greater than it once was. When I was working as a Hazmat Officer we had a saying, "The solution to pollution is dilution. Many products are not much of a problem until they reach greater concentrations. We are now getting into uncharted territory with marijuana. People are experiencing psychotic episodes from high dosages that were typically not as common in the past.
When I first started working in public safety alcohol was the drug of choice among derelicts that we were responding to on the street. During my career this changed to marijuana. From the media coverage one would think that this might be a good thing. In reality the psych issues we dealt with became much worse over time. But the vast number of experiences that both my wife and I had dealing with these are all anecdotal... very few studies have been done to quantify the problem.
In our view however the massive increase in panhandling, homelessness in our area is largely related to marijuana abuse. And many of the health and mental issues that our friends, family and acquaintances are experiencing in their advancing years is also related to their marijuana consumption.
As an example, one of my best lifelong friends began using marijuana in his 60s when it became legal where he now lives. He never used it in his younger years. His behavior began changing noticeably, and he started having difficulties that he does not attribute to marijuana. He has become extremely forgetful, and his cognitive abilities have declined greatly. I only hear from him every month or two so the declines may be more noticeable to me than those who interact with him more frequently. In truth I have started dreading conversations with him.
He has also started complaining about various health problems that one typically associates with aging. Strangely most of these problems did not seem to be problems for him until after the marijuana use started... now there is always some new malady from illnesses, to falls, to motor vehicle accidents, to unexplained headaches, aches and pains, neurological problems and who knows what else. It is not so much the complaints as the pattern of complaints that in the previous more than 50 years that I have known him have changed radically.
Could I prove that this change in behavior is the result of marijuana use? Probably not, but the timing is suspicious and the similarity to the problems that other marijuana users we interact with daily is noticeable.
I smoked a joint a couple of years ago. I was nearly catatonic, the crap was so strong. My buddies were laughing as I sat there staring at the TV saying “this sucks”. The stuff is way too strong nowadays. Give me back my dirtweed!
Retail marijuana products, from grass to edibles, are clearly marked as to its concentrations. The price point also is a reliable indicator as to the potency of a particular strain. You can buy a pre-rolled joint for $5 or as much as $30.
People don’t buy weed from strangers in the park anymore. You know what you are getting. I suppose inexperienced users would be more likely to overdose.