The perils of recreational marijuana use: Relationships with mental health among emergency department patients

Introduction Marijuana is a commonly used drug in the United States. Many states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. The effects of marijuana on mental health are unknown. Methods In this prospective survey study, eligible participants included ED patients age 18 and older, who had ever used recreational marijuana. A survey instrument was developed, […]

Medical marijuana laws and suicide

In the current study we use a synthetic control group design to estimate the causal effect of a medical marijuana initiative on suicide risk. In 1996, California legalized marijuana use for medical purposes. Implementation was abrupt and uniform, presenting a “natural experiment.” Utilizing a panel dataset containing annual frequencies of Total, gun, and non-gun suicides […]

Cannabis use disorder and post-deployment suicide attempts in Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans

The objective of the present study was to use retrospective data to test the hypothesis that cannabis dependence would be associated with an increased rate of post-deployment suicide attempts. Participants included 319 veterans who had deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan. Study procedures involved completion of a structured clinical interview and a battery of self-report […]

Interactive effects of PTSD and substance use on suicidal ideation and behavior in military personnel: Increased risk from marijuana use

Background The current study examines the unique and interactive effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and days using alcohol, opioids, and marijuana on PTSD symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior up to 1 year, later in a high‐risk sample of military personnel not active in mental health treatment. Methods Current and former military personnel […]

Cannabis use, harms and perceived risks among Canadian students

Cannabis is one of the most widely used psychoactive substance among Canadian youth. This fact is particularly concerning given that early initiation and frequent use of cannabis are associated with many adverse health effects (e.g., impaired cognitive function, increased risk of psychological and substance use disorders). Student drug use surveys (SDUS) are regularly occurring surveys that […]

The impact of cannabis use disorder on suicidal and nonsuicidal self-injury in Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans with and without mental health disorders.

The objective of this study was to assess the association between cannabis use disorder (CUD) and self‐injury among veterans. As expected, after adjusting for sex, age, sexual orientation, combat exposure, traumatic life events, traumatic brain injury, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, alcohol use disorder, and noncannabis drug use disorder, CUD was significantly associated with both suicidal […]

Medical marijuana laws and suicides by gender and age.

Suicides among men aged 20 through 39 years fell after medical marijuana legalization compared with those in states that did not legalize. The negative relationship between legalization and suicides among young men is consistent with the hypothesis that marijuana can be used to cope with stressful life events. However, this relationship may be explained by […]

Young adult sequelae of adolescent cannabis use: An integrative analysis.

Adverse sequelae of adolescent cannabis use are wide ranging and extend into young adulthood. Prevention or delay of cannabis use in adolescence is likely to have broad health and social benefits. Efforts to reform cannabis legislation should be carefully assessed to ensure they reduce adolescent cannabis use and prevent potentially adverse developmental effects.