In the US, evidence of the negative effects of THC on the elderly is rapidly growing.
The use of THC-enhanced cannabis may
increase the risk of experiencing delusions, paranoia, or psychosis. Marijuana
and medical cannabis can interact negatively with prescription drugs or
exacerbate pulmonary or cardiovascular health problems.
On the pages of the specialized electronic edition of
national cannabis growers, the attention of our respected readers and listeners
has already been focused on the negative impact of psychoactive cannabis on the
human body during adolescence, and also on the fact that “ Over the past five years, the number of officially
registered THC poisonings in the United States by young children increased 14
times .”
It seems that another important reason to look closely at the effects of
controlled tetrahydrocannabinol on the body of consumers should be a study
conducted in the United States, aimed at studying the consequences of the use
of cannabis with a high content of controlled THC on the health of older
Americans.
Data from researchers at the University of California San
Diego School of Medicine shows that the number of emergency room visits related
to the adverse effects of THC on the body of users increased significantly
among Californians aged 65 years and older over a 15-year period. Data
published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows an 1808%
increase in these types of emergency room visits.
Benjamin Hahn, MD, lead author of the study and
geriatrician in the Department of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care
at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, argues that the
dramatic increase in emergency room visits is due to the negative effects of
psychoactive cannabis on older adults. He notes that this increase is
significant because older people are at higher risk of side effects associated
with the use of a certain amount of controlled substances. Mr. Khan points out
that “Many patients assume that they will not have adverse side effects from
using psychoactive cannabis because they often do not take the plant as
seriously as they would a prescription drug. I see a lot of older people
overconfident saying that they know how to deal with it, but as they get older
their bodies become more sensitive and the concentrations that negatively
affect their health are very different from what they might be. tried it when
we were younger."
The study, which was funded in part by the National Institute
on Drug Abuse, was conducted using analysis of data obtained from the
California Department of Healthcare Access and Information. Scientists have
determined that the number of emergency room visits related to the negative
effects of THC on California consumers aged 65 and over jumped from 366 in 2005
to 12,167 in 2019.
It is noted that over the past two decades, the use of
marijuana among the elderly has increased dramatically, as efforts to legalize
its use are “gaining momentum” in the United States. Older Americans are
increasingly consuming various psychoactive varieties of the cannabis plant in
society and for a variety of health conditions, resulting in a reduced
understanding of the risks of regular psychoactive cannabis use.
The researchers say their results clearly demonstrate that
the use of psychoactive plant varieties among the elderly can lead to
unforeseen consequences that require emergency care for various reasons. Legal
use of psychoactive cannabis can slow down reaction time or impair attention,
which increases the risk of injury, falls, or susceptibility to various
ailments. There is evidence that the use of THC-enhanced cannabis may increase
the risk of experiencing delusions, paranoia, or psychosis. Marijuana and
medical cannabis can interact negatively with prescription drugs or exacerbate
pulmonary or cardiovascular health problems.
“ From our experience with alcohol, we know that older
people are more likely to stop using psychoactive substances if they see that
it is associated with the appearance of unwanted medical symptoms or negative
consequences. That is why understanding similar causal relationships of the
negative effects of psychoactive cannabis use can help with behavior change,”
says Alison Moore, MD, co-author of the study and head of the Department of
Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Care at the University of California San
Diego School of Medicine. “We really need to learn a lot about the hemp plant,
given the various forms and combinations of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD
(cannabidiol), which will help understand the risks of using the hemp plant.”
The findings clearly demonstrate that older Americans need
to at least discuss the advisability of using psychoactive cannabis varieties
with their healthcare provider. In particular, Ms. Moore argues that such
conversations should be part of routine medical care.
Commentary of the specialists of the
Association “Ukrainian Industrial Hemp”
Medical cannabis was legalized in the U.S. state of California in 1996, and the regulated sale of recreational varieties of plants began on January 1, 2018 after regulation of its legality by state voters in 2016.
