More and more people are turning to medical cannabis products to alleviate mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia—although there is little science indicating that the drug is safe and effective to treat these problems. Advocates of medical marijuana legalization have convinced many consumers that their problems can be solved with cannabis, even as some evidence suggests that it can make their conditions worse. Therapists say they are seeing more patients using pot in place of antidepressant drugs, which can have unpleasant side effects. But some studies have found that cannabis use is linked to even more severe symptoms, prompting the American Psychiatric Association to warn that “there’s no current scientific evidence that cannabis is in any way beneficial to the treatment of any psychiatric disorder.”
Meanwhile, an alarming new study in JAMA Pediatrics has found that the number of teens who vape marijuana increased 7-fold between 2013 and 2020, as young people seek a more intense high than what they would get from smoking a joint. Vape pens deliver an intense high with more THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana. Researchers point out that vaping pot poses serious health dangers for teens, including a risk of dependence on marijuana and other substances, pulmonary disorders, and social and behavioral problems later in life. It’s time to impose better regulation of vaping products and ban advertising that targets young people.
And finally, some good news on the drug interdiction front: law enforcement agencies on three continents have disrupted a global drug trafficking operation on the dark web, one of the world’s largest online marketplaces for illicit goods including opioids and other dangerous drugs. Authorities in Europe, the U.S., and Australia arrested more than 150 people and seized large quantities of drugs including opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamines. Sales of drugs and drug-making equipment on the dark web have helped fuel the opioid crisis.