As states rush to legalize marijuana—New York is the latest do propose legal weed—with a focus on generating tax revenue and advancing social justice, a flurry of new studies highlights the risks and dangers of consuming cannabis, which are rarely discussed. One study in the journal EClinicalMedicine shows that smoking weed may expose you to the same type of toxic chemicals found in tobacco smoke. In the study, those who only smoked marijuana had higher blood and urine levels of these chemicals.
Meanwhile, another study finds that teens and young adults between the ages of 14 and 25 were more likely to increase their use of alcohol while abstaining from cannabis, pointing to the addictive qualities of both substances. While avoiding any recreational substance use would be best for youth, this data suggests that teens avoiding cannabis use may be simply substituting their cannabis use for drinking—rather than giving up the substance entirely.
And finally, new research published in the journal JAMA Network Open found that vaping cannabis at any frequency was linked with symptoms of bronchitis and wheezing in young adults around 19 years old. Participants who had vaped cannabis had a stronger link to such symptoms—including daily cough, congestion and phlegm—compared to those who had never vaped cannabis. In 2018 an outbreak of vaping-related respiratory illnesses known as EVALI led to the hospitalization or deaths of more than 2,800 people. Such studies add to the preponderance of evidence showing that consuming marijuana can endanger health—especially for young people—and should therefore be a major consideration when lawmakers consider legalization.