Suicide attempts involving CANNABIS are rising by 17% per year across US, study warns

Cannabis may be driving an increasing number of Americans to the brink of suicide, a study suggests.

Researchers who analyzed data from national poison control centers found that the number of people who had marijuana in their system when they attempted suicide has risen 17 percent each year since 2009.

Of the 18,700 cases involving cannabis over the past 12 years, about one in 10 resulted in death or permanent disability – and younger people were more likely to be high on weed when they attempted suicide.

Tracy Klein, co-author of the study, an associate professor of nursing at Washington State University, said: “We need to educate children and parents about the risks of cannabis.

“I think a lot of people are just not aware of the impact cannabis can have on brain development and on behavioral and mental health, especially in adolescents and young adults.”

The above shows cannabis use in US states. Twenty-one states and DC have legalized it for recreational use in addition to medicinal use, with almost all of them now allowing its use for medicinal purposes.

Researchers behind the study caution that while they have reinforced the established link between cannabis use and suicide attempts, their results do not prove that cannabis use will lead to suicide.

The increase in legally approved weed across the country in various forms from joints to gummies is also believed to be driving up the number of suicide attempts.

But cannabis has been linked to increased depression and anxiety in many people across different age groups.

According to a 2021 government study, cannabis smokers are up to five times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than non-users.

The latest study to find a link between cannabis use and suicide attempts was conducted by a team at Washington State University and published in JAMA network opened.

From 2009 to 2021, the researchers collected more than 18,600 reports to U.S. poison centers of cannabis-related suicide attempts, mostly among youths.

About 10 percent of those cannabis users were severely disabled or managed to take their own lives.

From 2019 to 2021, cannabis suicide attempts among children aged five to 13 will double.

In 2019, just under five percent of attempts reported to poison control centers involved marijuana alone, with the remaining 95 percent involving marijuana in addition to other drugs such as fentanyl.

But that figure will rise to about eight percent by 2021.

As marijuana has become more accessible in various forms, from smokable joints to potent edibles, there have been more reports of suicide attempts involving the drug

The increase in reports to poison control of cannabis-related suicides during and after the pandemic was notable and was greatest among children and women.

People aged 25 to 39 were the most likely to call for help about a marijuana-related suicide. After that age group came teens ages 14 to 18, then people ages 19 to 24.

Even seniors were represented, with 196 people age 65 and older reporting to poison control centers.

As a growing number of states relax restrictions on the use and sale of marijuana, the products are becoming more widely available and accessible to minors.

Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational use in 2012. Now the drug can be used recreationally in 21 states and medicinally in 37 states.

A common belief among marijuana enthusiasts, especially those who are younger, is that the drug does little to no harm. But a growing body of evidence disproves that claim.

The study said: ‘As more US states legalize cannabis for adults, the increase in cannabis use is likely to continue. It is important to further investigate the suspected link between cannabis use and suicidal behavior and how risks can be prevented or mitigated.’

Bad actors are increasingly making products with familiar colorful packaging that resemble popular snacks that contain THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis, that appeal to unsuspecting young people.

And last year, researchers at Oregon Health and Science University reported that calls to U.S. poison control centers about children consuming marijuana have risen a shocking 245 percent over the past two decades.

At the same time, children in the US have been hit by a mental health crisis exacerbated by pandemic-era isolation guidelines that separated them from their schools and friends.

And using cannabis as a child can have harmful effects on the developing brain, potentially leading to problems with learning, memory, coordination, responsiveness and judgment.

Older people aren’t spared either, as research shows that people in their mid-20s who regularly use marijuana can cause lasting damage to the brain.

THC interacts with endocannabinoids in the brain, which are responsible for determining how cells in the brain interact with each other.

The chemical compounds in THC alter the receptors that configure these interactions, creating the feeling people have when they consume the drug.