Friday Fact: More than a third of past-year “medical” marijuana users age 40-60 meet the criteria for a marijuana use disorder

Troubling new data from researchers at the University of Michigan show that almost 34% of past-year users of “medical” marijuana ages 40-60 meet the criteria for a marijuana use disorder. This data compounds a series of studies from JAMA, The Lancet, and elsewhere undermining claims that marijuana has a therapeutic effect on pain or mental health issues. These new data clearly indicate that “medical” marijuana use brings with it not only significant health risks ranging from elevated cancer risk to psychosis and schizophrenia: It also has a strong association with addiction. Public-health professionals should push back against the medical claims advanced by corporate marijuana–and the current presidential administration. 

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