A massive study has revealed that those who use marijuana are four times more likely to develop diabetes. Diabetes afflicts tens of millions of Americans and is a much worse health scourge among marginalized communities. Which means weed profiteers are not only making Americans sicker and sicker, they’re worsening social divides.
Boston Medical Center researchers analyzed the health records of about 100,000 individuals with marijuana-related diagnoses against four million healthy adults with no record of substance abuse or major chronic conditions. The research controlled for a laundry list of factors: age, sex, underlying illnesses, as well as HDL and LDL cholesterol, uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease, and more. Comparison after these were controlled yielded the headline of the study: that marijuana use may increase the risk of developing diabetes fourfold.
In other words, not only does this dangerous drug cause cardiovascular catastrophes. Not only is it deeply linked to severe mental health issues, including schizophrenia. It ruins your endocrine system as well.
As Dr. Ibrahim Kamel, the lead researcher of this study, put it:
As cannabis becomes more widely available and socially accepted, and legalized in various jurisdictions, it is essential to understand its potential health risks . . . These new sights from reliable real-world evidence highlight the importance of integrating diabetes risk awareness into substance use disorder treatment and counseling, as well as the need for healthcare professional to routinely talk to patients about cannabis use so that they can understand their overall diabetes risk and potential need for metabolic monitoring.
Wise words. Diabetes is a huge public health problem in America. 2024 numbers from the Centers for Disease Control peg the prevalence of the disease at almost 16% of all American adults. CDC data also shows that rates of diabetes are significantly higher among black adults than they are among white adults: Black adults were 1.4 times as likely to be diagnosed with the disease and 40% more likely to die from it.
This puts another new study in a much more disturbing light. Columbia and Harvard researchers found that among states that legalized marijuana recreationally, neighborhoods with high proportions of low-income Black residents have about 2.53 times the number of recreational marijuana retailers compared to high-income, predominantly White neighborhoods. For low-income Hispanic neighborhoods, that number is 2.67 times.
No one should be resigned to diabetes due to their race, income, and/or zip code. And yes, we need investment in healthy food infrastructure and the integration of marijuana screening into diabetes prevention.
But above all we need to take stock of the fact that the addiction-for-profit industry targets the most vulnerable groups in America and wrecks their health to make a fast buck in countless ways, including inflicting chronic diseases. Fighting back against the legalization, commercialization, and normalization of weed is the key step to ending this public health nightmare.