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Brightly colored "edibles" can be tempting for young kids and are more widely available now that many U.S. states have legalized cannabis for recreational and medical use.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much of an edible to make a small child very sick, new research finds, which may explain an uptick in hospitalizations of kids poisoned by cannabis.

“There are many studies ...

Nineteen scientific studies have failed to answer a big question: Are cannabis-containing products safe or effective for kids with cancer?

A new analysis of the studies found the evidence just isn’t there to determine dosing, safety and efficacy of medical marijuana or cannabis-containing products for managing symptoms experienced by these kids.

“It was difficult to measure bene...

Los atracones de bebida y el consumo de marihuana han alcanzado niveles históricamente altos entre los adultos de EE. UU. de 35 a 50 años, anunciaron el jueves los Institutos Nacionales de la Salud (NIH) de EE. UU.

Entre estos adultos de mediana edad, las drogas favoritas son la marihuana, los alucinógenos y el alcohol, y casi un 30 por ciento admitieron que se habían dado un atracón...

Binge-drinking and marijuana use have reached historically high levels among U.S. adults aged 35 to 50, the U.S. National Institutes of Health announced Thursday.

For these middle-aged adults, the drugs of choice are marijuana, hallucinogens and alcohol, with nearly 30% admitting to binge-drinking in 2022.

Binge drinking for this group reached the highest level eve...

As cannabis use has become legal in many U.S. states for medical or recreational use, Americans' views on the drug may have gotten rosier.

In fact, a new report finds that over 44% of adults now believe smoking weed each day is safer than inhaling tobacco smoke.

That perception is counter to the science, however, and could have a serious impact on public health.

“The resear...

After their U.S. states legalize marijuana, young adults who aren't in college are more likely than college kids to use the drug and progress to cannabis use disorder, a new study finds.

Prior to legalization, 23% of non-college young adults reported using cannabis in the past month, and after legalization it went up to 28%, researchers found. Among U.S. college students in the same ...

In recent years, the legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana has become the new normal across much of North America.

The problem: New research finds that as legalization has spread, so have cases of cannabis poisoning.

“We did a systematic review of published studies reporting on what happened to the rates of poisoning after legalization or decriminalization,�...

Using marijuana regularly might increase the risk for complications during and after surgery, and doctors should address this when planning operations, a new study suggests.

People with a cannabis use disorder are 20% more likely to have serious complications, such as stroke or blood clots, after a major operation than patients who aren't dependent on marijuana, researchers say.

"...

Marijuana use during pregnancy may impact the baby's brain development and long-term health, according to new research with monkeys.

THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) -- the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis -- altered the placental and fetal epigenome in monkeys who were given THC edibles, researchers say. These modifications can cause changes that aff...

Several companies are selling copycat food items that have the potential to trick people, including children, into consuming dangerous quantities of cannabis.

On Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission warned six companies about selling these copycat food products that contain delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as delta-8 THC, a substance fou...

Medical marijuana is touted as a pain reliever, but in U.S. states where it's legal, prescriptions for opioid or non-opioid painkillers haven't decreased, a new study finds.

According to researchers, this means that people aren't switching to cannabis for pain relief in huge numbers even when it's legally available, so it's unlikely to ease the nation's opioid overdose epidemic.
...

A growing number of states are legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and it may be leading to an unexpected side effect among millennials and Gen Xers: binge drinking.

Binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks at a time for men or four or more drinks for women, according to the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

“Recreational cannabis laws can hav...

Heavy users of marijuana might face an increased risk of bipolar disorder and depression, a new study suggests.

The analysis of more than 6.6 million Danish individuals found that having cannabis use disorder doubled or even tripled the odds for most forms of depression or bipolar disorder. When it came to bipolar disorder in particular, "cannabis use disorder was associated with higher r...

A subset of people may be at high risk for both psychiatric disorders and for using marijuana, based on their genetics, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Oslo in Norway have found that some of the genetic variants associated with cannabis use are also linked to psychiatric disorders.

“These findings are important as they show that the complex links betw...

Teens who use electronic cigarettes are significantly more likely than non-vapers to binge-drink and use cannabis, new research finds.

Surveys of teens ages 13 to 18 revealed that vapers were 20 times more likely to use marijuana than teens who used no nicotine products. And those who vaped in the previous month were six times more likely to have had multiple binge-drinking episodes ...

As recreational marijuana use rises, some dispensaries are recommending it as a remedy for morning sickness, but new research warns that using it during pregnancy may significantly affect fetal growth.

While fetal exposure to cannabis in early pregnancy can reduce birth weight, those effects can become more severe if use continues throughout the pregnancy, according to researchers at Cen...

Smoking cigarettes has long been linked to peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition where the buildup of plaque narrows arteries and limits blood flow to the legs or arms.

Now, a new study suggests that marijuana may have a similar impact, after finding that users had three times the risk of developing PAD.

Although the study is preliminary and doesn't determine whether th...

Marijuana appears to significantly increase young men's risk of developing schizophrenia, a new study suggests.

Up to 30% of schizophrenia cases among men aged 21 to 30 are related to heavy and problematic use of marijuana, according to the findings.

The researchers also found a tripled overall risk of schizophrenia linked to cannabis use in young men compared to women: Around 15% o...

Medical marijuana can safely reduce cancer pain, and is apparently so effective that patients wind up taking lower amounts of opioids and other pain meds, a new study reports.

Weed produced clinically significant reductions in cancer patients' worst pain, average pain and overall pain severity, said senior researcher ...

Suspected suicide attempts linked to marijuana overdoses have been steadily increasing over the past decade, a new study reports.

National Poison Data System records show a 17% yearly increase in reports of suicidal people who have been poisoned by using too much cannabis, said co-researcher Tracy Klein

Marijuana legalization in the United States appears to be driving an increase in car crash deaths due to a jump in "intoxicated driving," researchers say.

In 4 out of 7 states that legalized recreational cannabis, deaths from car crashes rose 10%, according to the University of Illinois Chicago study. On a brighter note, suicide and opioid overdose deaths declined in the states that legal...

With cannabis poisoning soaring among U.S. children, an expert from Children's Hospital Los Angeles offers tips for keeping kids safe from so-called “edibles.”

“The best way to keep your kids safe from marijuana edibles is not to have them in your home,” Dr. Colleen Kraft, an attending physician in th...

For decades, people turned to cigarettes in times of stress. Now, a preliminary study hints that young people are using vaping in the same way.

The study, of nearly 2,000 U.S. teenagers and young adults, found that those who vaped nicotine or marijuana were more likely to report anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts. In fact, a majority of vapers said they'd suffered anxiety or depress...

New research suggests that smoking weed is far from benign: Toking every day might raise your odds of heart disease.

The increased risk is not insignificant. Daily marijuana users are about one-third more likely to develop coronary artery disease, compared with people who have never used the drug, researchers say.

Marijuana is becoming more widely available and its link with heart ...

There's a popular notion that cannabidiol (CBD) can take the edge off the less pleasant effects of marijuana. But a new study suggests that, when it comes to edibles, the opposite is true.

Researchers found that when they gave study volunteers a batch of pot brownies, the effects were as one...

It's not clear why, but youths in U.S. states where medical marijuana is legal report more vaping of cannabis than their peers in states where weed is legal for all adults or it is completely illegal.

New research fo...

New research links cannabis use in the first trimester of pregnancy to poor outcomes, closely related to functioning of the placenta.

This is important information given that more U.S. states are legalizing marijuana for recreational use, researchers said. The study findings were presented Thursday at a meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, in San Francisco and online.

Laws bar advertising cannabis to teens, but that doesn't mean they always work.

In a new survey, researchers found that teens still see a lot of positive cannabis messages through social media posts.

These messages influenced their intentions a...

Living in a U.S. state where recreational weed is legal does not appear to increase the average adult's risk of succumbing to “reefer madness,” a new study of twins has determined.

An adult living in a “legal” state is not more likely to develop any sort of substance abuse disorder than their twin residing in a state where marijuana remains outlawed, researchers found.

They ...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it can't regulate CBD supplements because there isn't enough evidence on their safety. The agency also called on Congress to create new rules for what has become a burgeoning industry.

"The use of CBD raises various safety concerns, especially with long-term use," FDA Deputy Commissioner