Rhode Island’s decision to launch the nation’s first “legal” supervised drug consumption site again raises critical questions about the ultimate goals of such facilities and whether they can serve as a pathway to drug treatment. Rhode Island, faced with rising overdoses—435 individuals died last year, the highest year on record for the state—believes that safe sites, as they are known, can be effective to curb overdoses and infectious diseases, and also provide information about treatment as an option, rather than a requirement. After many years of legal battles, two safe sites opened last year in New York City, and other cities that are also faced with soaring overdoses are considering doing the same. Although they remain illegal under federal law, Rhode Island is officially sanctioning a two-year pilot project and in a novel strategy, is financing it with funds received from opioid legal settlements. As a harm reduction measure, safe safes allow users to shoot up in a safe setting, with medical personnel, drug testing strips, and clean needles on hand to reduce the chance of injury or death. While this is important to save lives, those running safe sites—including the Rhode Island project—say they will not force participants to enter treatment nor expect that they do so, but rather offer the option "if they are interested." This is a misguided approach that fails to recognize that substance users aren’t likely to accept, on their own, an offer or option to voluntarily enter treatment. Instead, it’s critical to provide incentives that could become a bridge to treatment—such as drug courts, or guaranteed employment after successfully completing a course of treatment—and motivate users to seek recovery. Harm reduction and treatment are often talked about as separate, opposite approaches. But instead should be considered together as part of a comprehensive strategy to ending the addiction and overdose crisis in America, which last year claimed more than 108,000 lives.
YOUTH VAPING APPEARS TO FALL BUT IS STILL UNACCEPTABLY HIGH
The latest data from the CDC and the FDA appears to show a downward trend in youth vaping rates, from an epidemic level of about 20 percent to 9 percent among middle and high schoolers this year compared to 2019. While this is good news, officials warn the finding may be distorted by pandemic disruptions that limited supply, and a change in survey methodology to online-only canvassing. Still, they say that even at this level vaping is at an unacceptably high rate for this age group and poses a risk to their health. Our nation’s youth, the report concluded, are still being enticed and hooked by an expanding variety of e-cigarette brands delivering flavored nicotine, as well as marijuana at extremely high levels. Tobacco control advocates note that while high school vaping peaked at an estimated 27.5 percent in 2019, more than 2.5 million kids still use e-cigarettes today. They are calling for the FDA to ban all flavored e-cigarette products that are overwhelmingly the most popular with young Americans, and to address new vaping products on the market from brands such as Puff Bar—the most popular brand for the second year in a row—that use disposable e-cigarette designs that are sold illegally. The FDA has moved too slowly to take on the e-cigarette industry, which continues to target young people in its product marketing and design.
POT GETS POLITICAL IN THIS YEAR'S MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Cannabis legalization has so far not played a significant role in national electoral politics. For the most part, it has been a state-level issue, as more and more states moved to legalize the drug through direct ballot initiatives or legislative actions. This year, however, cannabis reform has shifted to the national electoral level, according to Slate, with four major races in Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania in which legalization plays a role and differentiates the candidates. With one month before the midterms—which take place exactly a decade after voters in Colorado and Washington legalized weed—marijuana is a hot-button issue in races for Texas governor, Pennsylvania senate, and both the gubernatorial and Senate races in Florida. This occurs amid a shift in attitude among Americans, with an estimated 16 percent saying they smoke the stuff, and with easier access to pot products in the 19 states that have legalized recreational marijuana and 29 that allow medical marijuana. Polls continually show that voters favor legalization, although they are much less enthusiastic about having pot shops in their neighborhoods and routinely vote against allowing retail operations. Nevertheless, President Biden, last week added to the mix by announcing a pardon for anyone convicted of pot possession on the federal level and calling for government agencies to assess whether to remove marijuana from the list of Schedule 1 drugs, including heroin. Some say Biden’s pardon was a purely political move to attract progressive voters. Others argue that politicians and pollsters underestimate the power of the weed vote, which attracts liberals and centrists, including Republicans. Among the most outspoken advocates for legalization in the midterms is John Fetterman, the Democratic Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, and it’s also an issue in the Senate race in Florida, the country’s largest medical-only weed market. As politicians battle it out, we are forgetting the most important problems with legalization: education to prevent underage use, and rules to better regulate products, packaging, and marketing.
BIDEN PARDONS FEDERAL POT CONVICTIONS BUT STOPS SHORT OF DECRIMINALIZING CANNABIS
In a surprise move, President Biden announced pardons for those convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and ordered his administration to review the drug’s status as a Schedule I substance similar to heroin and LSD. The move was largely unexpected, in that the President had previously signaled little interest in tackling the marijuana issue before the midterms. Still, the announcement reflects a fundamental shift in America’s response to cannabis, at a time when 19 states have legalized recreational pot and 39 medical marijuana, while it remains illegal under federal statutes. Biden stopped short of decriminalizing marijuana altogether, and the pardon is limited to crimes related to possession, not trafficking or distribution, and will affect around 6,500 people as well as thousands more in Washington, D.C. He also urged governors to do the same for those convicted on state charges of simple possession, who vastly outnumber those charged under federal laws. Advocates for minorities have long urged a pardon for such offenses, as part of criminal justice reforms, because minorities make up a disproportionate number of such convictions. Biden has made the right move, as nobody should be in jail for smoking a joint. But as legalization moves ahead in states, we must also focus on education and prevention programs for vulnerable young people, and instituting strong market rules and regulations to prevent sales to underage consumers and to protect them from highly potent THC products.
MICRODOSING PSYCHEELICS IS TRENDING, BUT THERE'S SCANT EVIDENCE OF SAFETY OR EFFECTIVENESS
Harvard Health looks at the increasingly popular trend of taking small amounts of potent psychedelic drugs—a practice known as microdosing—in order to purportedly enhance one’s creativity, concentration, and mood, among other claims. The trend has become popular amid growing interest in psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin which initial studies show has the potential to effect long-lasting improvements in the mental health of patients suffering from anxiety, PTSD, and treatment-resistant depression. Microdosing means taking a fraction of a regular dose that causes one to hallucinate, believing that this smaller amount—the exact dosage isn’t clear, as the potency of magic mushrooms can vary—can provide benefits without the risks of tripping, which can be traumatic. Yet even as more and more proponents tout microdosing, the scientific evidence is scant. In fact, there’s little research showing that this approach is either safe or effective. Some studies indicate a real benefit, whereas others are much less convincing and show little or no improvement in well-being and cognitive function. Studies that do show some improvement support the hypothesis that the effect people receive from these drugs is mostly an expectancy effect, and suggest that one needs to consume a higher dosage for any therapeutic benefit. These are powerful substances that hold much potential but can also cause considerable damage to patients, and require more study and regulation before becoming mainstream treatment tools.
SAN FRANCISCO UNVEILS AMBITIOUS OVERDOSE REDUCTION PLAN BUT FAILS TO PROVIDE PATHWAY TO TREATMENT
Responding to a dramatic increase in overdose deaths, San Francisco’s Department of Public Healthhas unveiled an ambitious plan to reduce fatalities by focusing on both harm reduction and drug treatment. Acknowledging that overdose is now a public health crisis in the city—which reported 625 deaths in 2021, involving opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamines, and driven by a dramatic increase in the presence of the synthetic opioid fentanyl—the plan calls for establishing “wellness hubs” as a cornerstone of a continuum of sevices. Treatment and harm reduction exist side by side on this continuum, the health department states, and will therefore couple overdose prevention services such as safe syringe sites with the expansion of treatment availability. While the hubs will offer overdose reversal medications, drug testing strips, and spaces for safe consumption of drugs, the plan calls for removing barriers to treatment and adding 70 new beds for residential treatment, and increasing the number of people receiving medication-assusted treatment (MAT) by 20 percent. The overall goal is to reduce fatal overdoses by 15 percent by 2025. Yet while the plan as outlined has many positive components, it falls short by decoupling harm reduction as a pathway to treatment services. It says that “treatment must be made available to people who seek it, whereas other services incouidng harm reduction and supplies, should be accessible to individuals NOT seeking treatment.” We must find ways to link these two elements with incentives that encourage and motivate users to enter treatment, rather than returning to a life of drugs.
THERE IS A WAY TO END THE OPIOID CRISIS: MAKE TREATMENT EASIER TO OBTAIN THAN DOPE
More than 108,000 Americans died last year of drug overdose—and more than 1 million since the OxyContin plague began in the mid-1990s—but the U.S. still hasn’t gotten the message about the addiction and overdose crisis, argues Beth Macy, author of “Dopesick,” in a commentary in the Washington Post. While we know what fueled the crisis—the greed of pharmaceutical companies—there is also a way to end it by embracing treatment and making it easier to obtain than dope, Macy writes. She proposes offering free treatment on demand for those who can’t afford it, and making withdrawal medications such as buprenorphine and methadone—that curb craving and stave off withdrawal—readily available with much less red tape and regulation. Currently, these medicines are scandalously difficult to obtain, with only 5 percent of people with opioid use disorder able to get them in 2020. With the influx of high potency fentanyl that has poisoned the illicit drug supply and is driving overdose fatalities, morphine would be particularly helpful, but access is restricted by policies that go back to the Nixon administration’s “war on drugs." This restricted access to drugs and forced people to go to methadone clinics, which can be difficult and stigmatizing, especially in rural areas. Macy also mentions the need for programs in prisons and jails to screen for addiction, offer withdrawal medications, and refer the incarcerated to treatment programs along with peer support. She concludes by urging Congress to pass the Mainstreaming Addiction Act that would ease access to medications. For too long we have said there is nothing to be done about addiction and soaring overdoses, but these actions would be a step in the right direction.
HOW FENTANYL IS FUELING THE DRUG CRISIS IN EVERY CORNER OF AMERICA
The Wall Street Journal takes a closer look at the synthetic opioid fentanyl that is driving overdose deaths to record numbers across the country, finding that it has infiltrated every channel of the illicit drug supply and is more toxic than ever. The super powerful legal medication has become the dominant substance for opioid users craving a fix; it's killing users who seek it out to fuel a rising tolerance to prescription painkillers or heroin, as well as those who didn’t know they were taking it. Illicit drugs are deadlier than ever because of fentanyl’s pervasiveness and its mixture into a host of substances as dealers cut the drug into cocaine as well as tainted pills made to look like common medications such as Adderall, and even marijuana. Even though prescriptions for legal painkillers that started the opioid crisis in the first place have fallen by 44 percent over the past eight years to 2020, opioid-related overdose deaths nearly tripled in the same time span, reaching 82,000 out of the 108,000 overall fatalities last year. The drug is so strong that a tiny bit of it can kill, and users often have no idea they’re ingesting it, which makes it more difficult to administer overdose reversal medications. What’s more, the infiltration of fentanyl into the drug supply for cocaine and other stimulants has led to an increase in overdose deaths among Black people. In one country in Ohio alone, where cocaine and crack are still prevalent, deaths rose by nearly 30 percent. The drug is primarily produced in Mexico, after China cracked down on suppliers, and is then adulterated by dealers here to provide an extra kick to users or to hook them more intensely. Drug enforcement officials have stepped up seizures of the drug, but more must be done to halt the flow of fentanyl into the country as part of a comprehensive anti-drug strategy that also includes harm reduction and most importantly, easier access to treatment.
IT'S EASY TO GET A MEDICAL MARIJUANA CERTIFICATE IN VIRGINIA
Medical marijuana, now legal in 39 states, has been the vanguard of cannabis legalization for years, spearheading the push for recreational sales. Selling medical pot is based on mostly anecdotal evidence that it’s good for treating a wide variety of illnesses—from morning sickness to anxiety and stress, as well as a host of other ailments, with scant scientific evidence to back it up. Relieving pain is one of the most commonly reported qualifying conditions although, again, there’s little scientific evidence to support the claim that it actually helps. Still, the medical marijuana market continues to grow by convincing consumers that it’s a panacea for just about anything. Originally, states with legal medical pot listed a number of diseases for which the drug could be certified. But now, some states, like New York, have dropped the list, and allow physicians and other medical practitioners to prescribe the drug for any condition if they feel it can be treated by cannabis. Virginia, for its part, still lists anorexia, autism, anxiety, Crohn’s Disease, and lupus, among other diseases, as qualifying conditions. How easy is it to get a certificate in the state? Very, as Axios,found out. Just call a practitioner, acknowledge you feel anxious, and pay $99, and a certificate can be yours to buy medical weed "or your money back." As with recreational cannabis, the market for medical pot has raced ahead of the science, thereby putting consumers—including those who are pregnant—at risk from high potency marijuana products.
BIG TOBACCO CONTINUES TO PUSH INTO MARIJUANA MARKETS
If there was any doubt that Big Tobacco is targeting the cannabis market, look no further than British American Tobacco’s recent investment in a German pot startup called Sanity Group, a company now involved in medical marijuana. BAT, with cigarette brands including Camel and Lucky Strike, among many others, secured $37.6 million for the deal, along with rapper Snoop Dogg’s venture capital company. While BAT doesn’t gain a controlling stake in the firm, it reflects the tobacco giant’s longer-term goal of establishing a beachhead in soon-to-boom markets, such as Germany, Europe’s largest economy with a population of more than 83 million. Recreational marijuana is currently illegal in Germany, but the government is moving ahead with plans for cannabis reform sooner, rather than later. As pot use increases with legalization and smoking cigarettes declines in the developed world, BAT and other industry leaders such as Philip Morris and Altria, are looking to diversify into other addictive substances to maintain growth. Last year, BAT—one of the world’s largest tobacco companies—bought a stake in a Canadian cannabis producer, and invested in vaping companies and a marijuana-tech outfit. While the marijuana industry portrays legalization (at least in the U.S.) as a grassroots movement aimed at social equity and criminal justice reform, Big Tobacco—along with big beverage and food companies—is eyeing the market as a new source of revenue and profit at the expense of public health.
WITHOUT A CLEAR PATHWAY TO TREATMENT, OREGON'S GROUNDBREAKING DRUG STRATEGY IS FAILING
Two years ago, Oregon passed a landmark law to decriminalize illicit hard drugs and channel hundreds of millions of dollars into drug treatment, with the hope that this approach would reduce addiction and overdoses. Yet the results so far have been dismal: Oregon still has one of the highest addiction rates in the country and fatal overdoses have increased by nearly 20 percent. And half of the addiction programs lack the capacity to meet demand due to a funding and staffing shortfall. As the first state to try this strategy, other states with soaring addiction and overdose rates are closely watching what happens—or in this case, doesn’t happen. Under the law, which makes small amounts of drugs such as heroin and cocaine punishable by civic citation and a $100 fine, which will be waived if an individual calls an addiction recovery hotline. Yet data now shows that most of the 3,000 citations issued have been ignored. Of the 16,000 people who requested services, 60 percent received “harm reduction” help such as needle exchanges and overdose medications, while about 15 percent with housing, and 12 percent were connected to peer support. While such measures are important, Oregon’s novel effort is failing because its voluntary approach does not provide any incentive or motivation for users to turn away from a life of drugs. Oregon should be praised for trying a new strategy to shift addiction from incarceration to healthcare, but it won’t be effective unless the program includes a clear and easy pathway to treatment.
A NEW STUDY SHOWS PROMISE IN USING PSYCHEDELICS TO TREAT ALCOHOLISM
There is a growing body of evidence showing that the controlled use of some psychedelic drugs could have therapeutic benefits, opening the door for a new range of treatments using these powerful substances. A new study published in JAMAPsychiatry, for example, found that just two doses of psilocybin magic mushrooms paired with psychotherapy led to an 83 percent decline in heavy drinking among some participants, compared to 51 percent taking a placebo. By the end of the eight-month trial, nearly half of those who received psilocybin had stopped drinking entirely, according to the small study. Although most psychedelics remain illegal under federal law, research is ramping up to determine is the drugs—including LSD and Ecstasy, in addition to psilocybin—can be effective for treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, and existential dread experienced by the terminally ill, as well as different types of substance use disorder. Nearly 15 million Americans struggle with excessive drinking, and such treatments offer hope. Yet we are still in the early stages of researching whether these drugs are effective in a clinical setting. As more and more cities and states consider rushing ahead to legalize psychedelics, we must move cautiously to explore the full range of possibilities these drugs could offer—as well as safeguards for protecting patients.
COPS THROW A POT PARTY TO TEACH DRIVERS ABOUT THE DANGER OF DRIVING WHILE DRUGGED
As more and more states legalize marijuana, law enforcement officials continue to express concern about the risks of driving while drugged. Many of today’s potent cannabis products contain high levels of THC, the psychoactive component of the pot, that is known to impair reflexes and cognition and has led to an increase in traffic accidents in legal pot states. To teach motorists about the dangers of driving while high, police in Maryland hold “green labs” in which participants are given cannabis to get stoned and then administered sobriety tests—such as walking a straight line (or not)—and using a driving simulator to test their reactions times. It’s illegal to drive while impaired by marijuana, but there isn’t any widely accepted standard for assessing pot impairment, as there is with alcohol. Maryland allows medical cannabis and a vote on recreational is coming up in November. For the police, green labs are also an opportunity to see how to identify drivers who may be stoned and incapable of operating a vehicle safely. Some participants had trouble walking a straight line and focusing—both signs of pot use. Law enforcement departments in Seattle and Ohio have launched similar programs in an effort to maintain public safety amid easier access to pot.
CRITICS DISPUTE PURPORTED ADVANTAGES OF CANADA'S CONTROVERSIAL "SAFE SUPPLY" DRUG PROGRAM
To stem a surge in drug overdose deaths, Canada is experimenting with a program that provides a steady and safe supply of illicit drugs to users instead of having them rely on street drugs. The program is part of an expanding movement in the country to provide government-funded, pharmaceutical-grade opioids so that users can feel the euphoric high without suffering withdrawal or worrying about the increasingly dangerous supply of drugs tainted by fentanyl or other substances. Critics of the “safe supply” program, a concept that is associated with the broader harm reduction strategies, argue that addicts should instead be directed toward treatment and that providers should be focused on reducing drug use—and not essentially promoting it. Others contend that users should be engaged in medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which combines effective withdrawal medications and counseling. A recent report on safe supply found that such programs echo the overprescribing of painkillers that drive the opioid addiction and overdose crisis in the first place. Supporters claim that the supply is just too dangerous and poses a very real risk of dying. And for those who are not yet ready for treatment, or for whom treatment hasn’t worked, safe supplies can help them avert death. While interest in the safe supply movement is growing in the U.S., it is still technically illegal, although similar strategies—such as safe injection sites—are receiving more attention as part of a harm reduction approach that is now backed by the Biden administration. A better way forward is to use harm reduction as the first step of a comprehensive strategy that eventually provides a pathway to treatment so that we not only save lives but also change them.
FDA RESISTS PUSH BY FOOD AND DRINKS COMPANIES TO ADD CBD TO PRODUCTS
The market for products containing CBD, the nonpsychoactive component of marijuana, has been growing along with marijuana legalization and the influx of products containing the drug and its variants. Big food and drinks companies, including Molson Coors beer and Mondelez, the snack food giant, have expressed interest in cashing in on what is expected to be a booming market for CBD-infused products. For now, however, the Food and Drug Administration is staunchly opposed—setting up a food fight in that $1 trillion market. The FDA argues that there’s little research on the health impact on CBD in food and beverages; previously, the agency raised concerns that high levels of CBD consumption could cause liver damage. There are also concerns that CBD will show up in food products without consumers knowing. There are currently a number of CBD-infused “wellness” drinks on the market that claim to reduce stress and anxiety, yet there’s little evidence they live up to the hype. At the same time, the FDA has not taken such a hard line when it comes to CBD in dietary supplements, which are technically illegal too but represent a much smaller and less accessible market than food and drinks. Meanwhile, the FDA has warned Congress that any attempt to legalize CBD in food would pose a risk to public health after a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed legislation to allow it in food and drink products. In response, the FDA has said the bill would put consumers, especially vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those who are pregnant, at risk. The FDA is correct to resist allowing widespread use of CBD in the products we eat and drink withoutadequate scientific research about safety and how this will impact public health.
TWO DRUGS MORE POWERFUL THAN FENTANYL ENTER THE ILLICIT MARKET AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERDOSE SURGE
The powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl has been driving a surge in overdose deaths over the past few years to a record 108,000 in 20221. Now, drug-control officials say that two drugs even more powerful drugs than fentanyl—itself 50 times more potent than heroin—are entering the illicit market and are increasingly linked to overdose fatalities. One is a class of synthetic opioids called nitazines, which was responsible for a four-fold rise in overdose deaths in Tennessee in the last two years from none in 2019. Health officials are also finding traces of another drug, xylazine, a non-opioid animal tranquilizer, in fentanyl samples. This drug is usually used to sedate animals, including horses, and has been found laced in illicit injectable drugs, causing users to slip into a state of unconsciousness for hours. This profound sedation leaves people vulnerable to sexual assault and robbery, health care experts say, as well as suffocation if they are lying face down on a pillow. They also suffer skin abscesses at injection sites that are so severe they sometimes require amputations. These new drugs reflect a significant escalation of the drug and overdose crisis, increasing the risks for drug users who are often unaware of the dangers. To reduce the overdose rate, we need stronger efforts by federal and state authorities to stop the flow of such drugs, provide for adequate testing opportunities, and equally important, make available treatment on demand for al those struggling with substance use.
MEDICARE IS FAILING OLDER AMERICANS WITH OPIOID USE DISORDER
More than 1.1 million Medicare beneficiaries had diagnosed with opioid use disorders in 2021, and more than 50,000 Pard D beneficiaries died from a drug overdose, whether prescribed or illicit drugs. Yet a new federal oversight report finds that Medicare is vastly underserving older Americans, with only 18 percent of enrollees with the diagnosis receiving recommended medical care and drug treatment. The report highlights the fact that overdoses occur among older Americans, even if the overall rate is below those of other adults and hasn’t spiked as sharply in recent years to a record 108,000 in 2021. One barrier to providing drug treatment to Medicare enrollees is access to medications such as the withdrawal drug methadone, which is not covered by Medicare Part D because it is dispensed in special clinics rather than pharmacies. Another medication that helps ease withdrawal cravings—buprenorphine—requires providers to get a special waiver from the government, limiting the number of eligible clinicians. While opioid prescribing among beneficiaries has been on a downward trend over the past few years, due in part to closer prescription monitoring, Medicare must work harder to improve access to treatment for those with opioid use disorder and to prevent overdoses with the drugs and services that work.
WEED-INFUSED DRINKS ARE BOOMING, BUT WE STILL KNOW LITTLE ABOUT THEIR HEALTH IMPACT
Just a few years ago, the idea of drinking cannabisseemed far-fetched. But today, with recreational marijuana legal in 19 states and medical pot allowed in 39, the market for weed-infused drinks is booming. In 12 states, dollar sales of marijuana beverages rose 65 percent between 2020 and 2021. The number of marijuana beverages doubled during that time to nearly 750 different products in California alone, including lemon-flavored High Seltzer, THC-laden sparkling wine, and ready-to-go cannabis-infused drink mixes in foil packets. As with so much in the marijuana industry, the rush to introduce new pot products is outpacing scientific research into the potential risks and health effects. Even as more and more products flood the market, health officials and scientists say we still know very little about cannabis drinks, how they should be consumed, and their impact on the brain and body. Many of these drinks are marketed as “natural” or a healthier alternative to alcohol, which research and data do not support. Further, as these drinks contain THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, it is easy to accidentally consume too much, especially for first-time or casual users, who don’t understand the labels. As a result, the high can be unpredictable, and potentially more intense, and with more psychoactive effects than cannabis that is smoked. To protect consumers, we need more robust research and data to formulate the best rules and guidelines for the safe use of cannabis-infused drinks.
A NEW STUDY ADDS TO GROWING EVIDENCE OF MARIJUANA RISKS DURING PREGNANCY
As legal marijuana has become more common, its use during pregnancy has also grown exponentially, despite a growing body of strong scientific evidence that it can harm children. A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics builds on previous research linking prenatal cannabis exposure to behavior problems when children were 9 to 10 years old. The new analysis—which tracked some 12,000 children as they grew into young adults—connected prenatal cannabis exposure to mental disorders into adolescence, including attention, social, and behavioral difficulties, which could raise the risk of mental health disorders and substance use in later adolescence. As more and more states legalize cannabis, and its consumption becomes mainstream and considered largely benign, its use among women who are pregnant doubled to 12 percent between 2002 and 2017, the latest year that data is available. Doctors and public health officials continually warn women of the risk of using marijuana during pregnancy, even as cannabis dispensaries market their products as a way to curb morning sickness of nausea. One immediate consequence of marijuana use during pregnancy: studies show it is likely to lead to early and potentially dangerous delivery. As marijuana use clearly poses risks for the pregnant person and the child’s development, we need a more robust campaign among healthcare professionals to educate patients while the government must crack down on marijuana retailers who target people who are pregnant.
CANNABIS BAN FOR TOP ATHLETES LIKE TO STAY IN PLACE
The World Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees drug testing in the Olympics and other sports, is likely to keep cannabis on its list of prohibited substances despite growing pressure to remove its ban on the drug. As more and more U.S. states legalize cannabis products, and many athletes promote its use for medical and recreational purposes, debate within the agency has grown over whether to suspend athletes who test positive from the competition. This was highlighted in 2021 after American springer Sha’Carri Richardson tested positive for pot and was not allowed to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. As the debate continues, the agency’s advisory group has recommended keeping the ban in place, noting that the drug still meets the criteria for inclusion because it could have a negative impact on performance. WADA has also concluded that marijuana meets other criteria because of its potential health risks (such as affecting an athlete’s balance) during competition, enhancing performance, and “violating the spirit of sport.” Increasingly, many pro athletes say they use cannabis products and have spoken out about the purported benefits of both medical and recreational marijuana. They also contend that if it is legal in many U.S. states, it should also be allowed in international sports competitions. But with a growing body of evidence highlighting the potential risks of cannabis use, especially products with high levels of psychoactive THC, we urge caution when considering removing it from the list of banned substances for professional athletes who always strive to perform at the highest level.