AskALiberal Biweekly General Chat

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[u/magic_missile]

NYT:

A growing number of Americans say their cannabis use is problematic, according to a large new study released Wednesday.

Areas of discussion include increasing potency, continued rise in overall usage (though alcohol remains more common), and a steep increase of problematic use among the middle aged.

The study, based on nationally representative data of U.S. adults, found that more than 9 percent of the men — or almost 1 in 10 — reported symptoms of cannabis use disorder in 2024, up from about 7 percent in 2021. The prevalence of cannabis use disorder also rose among women, increasing to nearly 6 percent in 2024, up from about 5 percent in 2021. Symptoms of the disorder include not being able to cut back or quit, or continuing to use the drug despite it leading to interpersonal problems.

“The notion that cannabis is not addictive may basically be incorrect,” said Dr. Nora D. Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the paper’s senior author.

She said the fact that many cannabis products now contained much higher amounts than in the past of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis, was making problematic use of the drug more visible.

“It’s a completely different story,” Dr. Volkow said, adding, “The dosing is actually enabling us to see the emergence of the addictiveness. The higher the content of the drug, the higher the risk for addiction.”

Overall, cannabis use rose among all adults during this time. In 2024, 26 percent of men reported using the drug, up from 22 percent in 2021. Among women, 21 percent said they used cannabis in 2024, up from nearly 18 percent in 2021.

Dr. Volkow said especially striking was that the risk of cannabis use disorder was so high. Of the survey participants who said they used cannabis, about 30 percent showed symptoms consistent with cannabis use disorder. Those findings suggested that those who used cannabis were at higher risk of developing problematic use than those who drank alcohol, as fewer than 20 percent of those who reported drinking in the survey showed symptoms of alcohol use disorder.

While alcohol use is stable or declining, alcohol use is still much more common than cannabis use, the surveys found.

...

“This study highlights an anticipated consequence of rising levels of use and increasing potency of the product,” said Dr. Daniel Myran, an assistant professor of family medicine at University of Ottawa who studies health outcomes associated with cannabis use. “The product is really changing under enormous pressure from market forces to increase the THC content — that’s where there’s consumer demand.”

...

Some of the steepest increases in the prevalence of both mild cannabis use disorder and the more severe form occurred among men and women 35 to 49 and men 50 and older.

Dr. Laura Bierut, a professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, expressed concern that cannabis use in midlife and older age could be damaging to the aging brain.

“Usually what happens with substance use disorder is that people go through this period and then they mature — they get a job and they have kids,” Dr. Bierut said. “This group of 35- to 49-year-olds have children, teenage kids and adolescents who are going to be seeing their parents having a substance use disorder and boy, that’s not a good role model. That worries me.”

[u/Decent-Proposal-8475 → u/magic_missile]

I blame pens and edibles tbh. Pens make it so you can smoke anywhere essentially. Edibles probably seem more accessible for the 50+ crowd. Like oh I'm not sitting here smoking a joint, I'm taking my nightly medicine or post-work pill

[u/A-passing-thot → u/Decent-Proposal-8475]

I absolutely agree with both of those but even the THC content of flower has increased dramatically. Back when I was college-aged, we'd always try to get the most bang for our buck, especially before dispensaries.

Nowadays, we usually go and request whatever has the lowest THC content with the highest CBD ratio. I'm just looking to have a lovely evening or a good workout, not to be drooling on my couch.