Pot use has soared among Americans over the age of 26 — over 10 percent of them reported getting high in a given month in 2020, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the country’s largest survey on drug use. That’s more than double the rate of monthly use reported in 2010.
But what are the actual dangers of using cannabis?
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Many of pot’s effects are tangled in contradictory research, but there are a few clear health risks to consuming the drug. Smoking cannabis regularly can cause bronchitis-like symptoms, and research published [recently] found that chronic cannabis users, defined as people who used pot at least four times a week for more than three years, had impaired pancreatic function.
Government agencies like the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have spent over $1 billion vilifying cannabis as a uniquely damaging substance, even though pot use has not been linked to higher overall mortality while alcohol and tobacco use have.
And there is a robust body of evidence that cannabis can provide health benefits. That’s perhaps not very surprising, given that the drug is one of the world’s oldest medicines.
