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Cannabis is the second-most common psychoactive substance (after alcohol) used during pregnancy.
- Elements of cannabis can pass through the placenta and affect the fetus’s development. Frequent cannabis use during pregnancy is associated with low birth weight and is part of a cluster of risk factors related to other adverse birth outcomes.
- There are also effects on behaviour in children and young adults, including attention deficits, emotional disturbances, increased hyperactivity and impulsivity, sleep disorders, and increased likelihood of substance use.
- Growing evidence from human and animal studies shows that paternal cannabis use can also negatively affect children’s neurodevelopment.
- Elements of cannabis can pass into breastmilk during lactation, which the infant absorbs and metabolizes.
- The effects of cannabidiol (CBD) use during pregnancy or breastfeeding are unknown. Both clinical and preclinical studies are urgently needed to evaluate the safety of CBD use during pregnancy.
- Information on the effects of cannabis use during pregnancy is essential to help healthcare providers advise patients about the effect of cannabis use and improve the health and well-being of patients and their children.
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Key points
- Activation of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) by endocannabinoids or synthetic ligands mediates acute haemodynamic effects and might contribute to pathology in cardiovascular disease; activation of cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) exerts anti-inflammatory effects
- The psychoactive constituent of marijuana, Δ9‑tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), exerts its cardiovascular effects via CB1R activation; at low doses it might have beneficial properties via partial activation of CB1R and CB2R, and unrelated mechanisms
- The composition of marijuana (THC–cannabidiol ratio, terpenoids) can influence its therapeutic and cardiovascular adverse effects, with marijuana smoke being as harmful as tobacco smoke
- Most synthetic cannabinoids used for recreational use are full agonists of CB1R (THC is a partial agonist) with up to several hundred-fold higher potency and efficacy than THC, causing more dangerous adverse effects
- In parallel with a tenfold increase in the THC content of marijuana and the widespread availability of synthetic cannabinoids for recreational use, the number of serious cardiovascular adverse effects reported has markedly increased
- Clinicians should be vigilant to recognizing potential cardiovascular effects of marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids; controlled clinical trials should determine the long-term consequences of the use of medical marijuana on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (Also see Handbook of Cannabis and Related Pathologies – 1st Edition (elsevier.com)
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Frequency of adolescent cannabis smoking and vaping in the United States: Trends, disparities and concurrent substance use, 2017–19 - Cannabis use without vaping appears to be declining among adolescents in the United States, while cannabis use with vaping is accelerating; frequent cannabis vaping is especially increasing, with consistent increases across almost all adolescent demographic groups. Cannabis use among US adolescents remains highly associated with other substance use.
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Children eating the grown-ups ‘medicinal marijuana’ Gummy Bears, being not only sedated but experiencing a disease that affects brain structure and/or function. Encephalopathy causes altered mental state and confusion – Welcome to THC – and its analogues – use!
Sedation and Acute Encephalopathy in a Paediatric Patient Following Ingestion of Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol Gummies
Abstract
BACKGROUND Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8 THC) is an isomer of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9 THC), the primary psychoactive cannabinoid in the marijuana plant. Typically found at lower concentrations in marijuana, delta-8 THC exhibits psychoactive properties similar to delta-9 THC. Products containing delta-8 THC are readily available across the US and currently there is a lack of available confirmatory testing specific to delta-8 THC as there is cross-reactivity to other naturally occurring cannabinoids in standard immunoassays. Paediatric exposures to this substance are on the rise.
CASE REPORT We present a case with laboratory confirmation of a previously healthy 2-year-old girl ingesting approximately 15 mg/kg of delta-8 THC gummies. The patient arrived minimally responsive and requiring intubation for encephalopathy. Laboratory confirmation of delta-8 THC exposure is not routinely available with common testing modalities. A urine drug screen preformed in the hospital was positive for delta-9 THC. With the collaboration of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Toxicology Testing Program, detection and confirmation of delta-8 THC was performed in the serum and urine using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of delta-8 THC-containing products in the illicit drug market is increasing rapidly. Delta-8 THC products are now available in gas stations and in headshops. The clinical presentation of delta-8 THC exposure is similar to known effects of delta-9 THC exposure. These similarities limit the clinicians' abilities to determine the specific substance ingested. Symptomatic and supportive care remains an effective treatment for cannabinoid toxicity.
(also Read FDA Issues Warning Letters to Companies Illegally Selling CBD and Delta-8 THC Products Violations Include Marketing Unapproved New Drugs, Misbranding, Adding Delta-8 THC to Food Products)
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Abstract: Evidence for an association between cannabis and psychosis has been documented in literature in many forms including experimental studies, epidemiological data, and case series. The association has implications for psychotic outcomes ranging from mild to severe and occurring over minutes to years. Due to the huge variety of exposures and outcome measures reported, creating a coherent account of all the available information is difficult. A useful way to conceptualize these wide-ranging results is to consider the association between cannabis and psychosis as it occurs within the context of widely used DSM-5 diagnoses. In the present review we examine cannabis/psychosis associations as they pertain to Cannabis Intoxication, Cannabis-Induced Psychotic Disorder, and Schizophrenia. This allows for an understanding of the cannabis and psychosis association along something approaching a continuum. Cannabis intoxication becomes Cannabis-Induced Psychotic Disorder once certain severity and duration criteria are met and Cannabis-Induced Psychotic Disorder is heavily associated with future schizophrenia diagnoses.
Other Associated Research
- Why do patients with psychosis use cannabis and are they ready to change their use?
- Understanding the Link Between Cannabinoids and Psychosis.
- The association between cannabis use and earlier age at onset of schizophrenia and other psychoses: meta-analysis of possible confounding factors.
- [Cannabis and psychosis: search of a causal link through a critical and systematic review].
- Clinical characteristics of primary psychotic disorders with concurrent substance abuse and substance-induced psychotic disorders: A systematic review.
- Mulling up Cannabis and psychosis – Lancet Warning on Cannabis and Psychosis
- Novel Insights on Cannabis and Psychosis
- Cannabis & Psychosis - Irrefutable
- C.I.P #CannabisInducedPsychosis - Prominent, Growing & Devastating
- Cannabis Library – Mental Health Impact
- United States marijuana legalization and opioid mortality epidemic during 2010–2020 and pandemic implications
- Potential Adverse Drug Events and Drug–Drug Interactions with Medical and Consumer Cannabidiol (CBD) Use
- Potential Adverse Drug Events with Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Due to Drug–Drug Interactions
- Cannabis Ages You – and Fast! Lifetime marijuana use and epigenetic age acceleration: A 17-year prospective examination