In the US, 49.6 million Americans ages 12 and older used cannabis or marijuana in 2020. Greater than 5.4 million Americans are medical cannabis patients. In Florida alone, where medical cannabis has been legal since 2014, there was a 1,107.01 percent increase within the variety of individuals with medical cannabis cards, from about 65,310 cardholders in 2018 to 788,297 as of Jan. 27.

One primary reason for the continued increase in cannabis use is risk perception. Many individuals consider cannabinoids – plant derived, medicinal, and artificial or chemically engineered – are secure to make use of because they’re non-psychotropic and non-psychoactive. Nonetheless, for some people, cannabis may be addictive and potentially cause harm when taken with other substances akin to alcohol or other drugs.

Despite its widespread use within the U.S. and globally (greater than 200 million worldwide), little is understood about deaths which are related to or caused through the use of cannabinoids.

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing are the primary to conduct a statewide evaluation of deaths in Florida related to cannabis and artificial cannabis use, utilizing data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement from 2014 to 2020. For the study, they examined sociodemographic characteristics, health-related conditions, the presence of other substances, and the variety of death related to the usage of these substances.

Results, published within the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, show that 386 people died in consequence of cannabis use; of those, 258 cases were attributable to synthetic cannabis. Nearly 65 percent of those cases involved synthetic cannabis because the only drug involved.

“Synthetic cannabinoids are a part of the brand new psychoactive substances which are two to 100 times stronger than THC, the essential psychoactive compound in marijuana,” said Armiel Suriaga, Ph.D., senior writer and an assistant professor in FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. “Synthetic cannabinoids are manufactured chemicals sprayed onto dried, shredded leaves or plant materials that mimic the effect of cannabis, but their actual effects are unpredictable, harmful and deadly.”

Findings showed that just about 28 percent of deaths attributable to cannabis and artificial cannabis were in those ages 45 to 54, in comparison with 9 percent in those ages 8 to 24. This finding suggests a change within the age demographic within the context of mortality considering the attributable health conditions akin to cardiovascular heart diseases.

Greater than 13 percent of cases had cardiac-related conditions akin to hypertensive heart disease related to hypertension, atherosclerotic heart diseases, cardiac arrhythmias, and cardiomegaly, an enlarged heart. There was one case of death from an ischemic stroke and one case of a death from a hemorrhagic stroke, each related to synthetic cannabis use.

Among the many study’s key findings:

• Nearly 88 percent of those that died from cannabis and artificial cannabis use were men.
• Roughly 65 percent were non-Hispanic whites.
• 100% of cannabis-related deaths occurred in urban counties.
• In rural counties, 28.3 percent of deaths were related to synthetic cannabis use; 39.9 percent were African American.

Nearly 99 percent of people using cannabis and artificial cannabis died from accidents. Most of those accidents were as a result of drug intoxications (83.93 percent) and motor vehicular crashes or collisions (14.17 percent) that caused blunt traumas to the pinnacle and torso. More motor vehicular accidents were observed in cannabis use as a reason behind death slightly than synthetic cannabis use. 4 individuals died from drowning under the influence of cannabis.

The very best count of deaths related to cannabis use was in 2019; the very best count for synthetic cannabis as a reason behind death was in 2018. The bottom count of deaths from each substances ranged from one to 3 deaths, which occurred in 2014.

“The persistent deaths from cannabis and artificial cannabis use are a legitimate public health concern,” said Suriaga. “The general public should remain vigilant of the opposed health outcomes related to these substances and their unpredictable effects, especially for men who’re disproportionately affected, and particularly for individuals with underlying cardiovascular and respiratory conditions.”

Study co-authors are Ruth M. Tappen, Ed.D., RN, FAAN, the Christine E. Lynn Eminent Scholar and professor, FAU Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing; and Elizabeth R. Aston, Ph.D., an assistant professor, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health.

This study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse Substance Use Disorder Evidence- Based Practice Training Awards and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Source:

Florida Atlantic University