More Than 100 Toxic Chemicals Found in Cannabis Smoke: U of A study

Kelsey Dyer
CTVNews Edmonton

A young man smoking marijuana at a rally in Vancouver, B.C., on April 20, 2011.

(Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

EDMONTON -- A study from the University of Alberta found 110 toxic chemicals in cannabis smoke, drawing attention to potential health risks.

The group of engineering researchers, led by U of A post-doctoral fellow Robert Nishida, compared smoke samples from a marijuana joint with samples from a tobacco cigarette.

"When it comes to how that effects your lungs, how that effects your health, it's a question of dose in the right spots of your lungs,” Nishida told CTV News, “for example where it's going to have these effects and those sorts of health-related questions."

Tobacco was chosen as a benchmark because it has been studied extensively.  

The researchers found that the physical and chemical properties of the two were quite similar. They have 69 toxic compounds in common, although tobacco had more in total, 173.

The particles in the cannabis smoke were found to be larger, impacting where they get deposited in a smoker's respiratory system.

“Whether it's in the throat or the upper airways, or if it gets transported all the way down into the alveoli, that depends on the size of the particles and their other physical characteristics,” Nishida said.

The researchers also concluded that more research needs to be done on the effects and the potential health risks of cannabis use.

Canada legalized cannabis in October 2018. Before legalization, a University of Calgary study found that 8.9 per cent of Albertans said they had used cannabis, less than the national average.

Cannabis retailers saw a spike in sales at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta.

Marijuana is Nothing Like it Used to Be - Says Mom of 19 y/o Who Suicided

A mom whose 19-yr-old died by suicide has a vital message for parents about marijuana today

Annie Reneau

Laura Stack/Facebook

Laura Stack's son Johnny lost his life to suicide three months ago when he was just 19 years old. Though she says the grief of his death is "still fresh," Stack took to Facebook to share something that happened three days before Johnny died, hoping it will help other parents whose kids may be at risk.

She wrote:

"On Sunday, November 17, 2019 around 5:30 PM, he came over for dinner. He lived in our condo a couple miles down the street and would often pop in for a home-cooked meal. This evening, he was a bit agitated but lucid. 'I need to tell you that you were right,' he told me. 'Right about what?' I asked. 'Right about the marijuana and the drugs. You told me weed and drugs would hurt my brain, and it's ruined my mind and my life. You were right all along. I'm sorry, and I love you.' He died by suicide three days later."

Stack explained that Johnny had "dabbed" since he was 15 or 16. "Do you understand the difference between smoking pot (and some edibles) and dabbing high-THC wax, shatter, or butter?" she asked. "Most of my friends look at me blankly when I say these words and say, 'I've never even heard about this.' If you don't know what cannabis extracts are, and you have children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews between the ages of 14 and 24, PLEASE keep reading."

"I am NOT talking about those of you who are supporters of legal recreational marijuana for adults over 21 years old—it's your life—do what you want," Stack clarified. "I know some people who take it successfully for specific medical purposes, so please don't write comments in my post about my personal experience. I'm specifically talking about illegal usage by children and young adults under 21, whose adolescent brains are still forming. You may be thinking, 'C'mon, Laura, it's no big deal – it's just pot.' 'Pot's legal, so it must be safe.' Or 'I did pot when I was a kid, too, and look, it didn't hurt me.'

Well, have you recently studied TODAY'S pot, and have you personally seen its effects on your children like I have?"

Stack explained why today's recreational cannabis is so different:

"First, the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a crystalline compound that is the main active ingredient of cannabis that gives the 'high,' is extracted out of the cannabis so that it's nearly pure. THC is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis. Then a butane torch is used to heat the crystals (similar to beeswax) or oil in a 'rig' (just google it), or a vaping device with a heating element called a dab pen can be used. Forget the 'grass' or 'papers' that were rolled in the 70s and 80s. The pot we grew up with (10% or less THC content) is HUGELY different than today's high-concentrate extracts (often 80% THC content or higher)."

She also explained why young people tend to be affected more by these high THC concentrations, and that the earlier they start the more likely it is that they'll develop a disorder.

"The brain is still developing through a person's 20s, and psychotic disorders typically develop in the late teenage years. During brain formation, heavy cannabis use has been shown to have a negative effect on the formation of neural pathways. It can also lead to heavier drug use. While the vast majority of marijuana smokers never experience CIP, researchers have found that the earlier and heavier someone starts dabbing, the more likely it is that they will develop a disorder at some point (often years later). We must educate our children when they are young (10-12 years old) and use hyper-vigilance in the early teen years, which we found was much easier before the age of 16, when they could drive. We couldn't lock him up or monitor him 24/7. Keep talking and keep trying!!

The harmful combination of a still-forming mind, high-potency THC products, and a high frequency of use = Cannabis-Induced Psychosis. Yes, that's a real diagnosis (or High-THC Abuse – Severe). Repeated CIP incidents can trigger schizophrenia or other mental illness, and even when the cannabis is withdrawn, the psychosis doesn't go away. This is what happened to my beautiful boy. When he died, the toxicology report showed he had ZERO drugs in his system. He wasn't depressed, neglected, drugged, or unloved. He was psychotic, paranoid, and delusional by the time he reached 19, and he refused the anti-psychotic drugs that he now needed, because he thought he wasn't sick (common to schizophrenia)."

It's so easy to think that marijuana use isn't that big of a deal, especially since some states (and Canada) have begun legalizing the drug for recreational use and many people see it as "natural." But the mild, laid-back high many people picture with pot use is not the reality of many of today's marijuana products or methods. Parents need to be aware of the dangers cannabis-derived drugs pose to their children's mental health and educate them as early as possible.

Stack included the following links to articles and studies backing up what she's learned about today's THC products. These are things we all should read and share, as this knowledge and awareness could literally save someone's life.

Potent pot, vulnerable teens trigger concerns in first states to legalize marijuana - The Washington Post

The contribution of cannabis use to variation in the incidence of psychotic disorder - The Lancet Journal

Association of Cannabis Use in Adolescence and Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality in Young Adulthood - Journal of the American Medical Association

Dabs, Wax, Vaping Weed, Edibles and the Real Impact of High Potency THC Products: What Parents Need to Know - Resources to Recover

How Marijuana May Damage Teenage Brains in Study Using Genetically Vulnerable Mice - Johns Hopkins

Significant link between cannabis use and onset of mania symptoms – Science Daily

Cannabis-induced psychosis: A Review – Psychiatric Times

Summary of literature on marijuana and psychosis - Moms Strong

Thousands of Young People Hospitalized Due to Cannabis and Other Substance Use

Last year, more than 23,500 youths were hospitalized in Canada

for harm from substance use - 40% for cannabis use

CBC News 

Cannabis accounted for nearly 40 per cent of hospital stays among youth for harm from substance use,

according to a new Canadian report. (Jason Redmond/Reuters)

About 65 young people in Canada per day land in hospital because of harm caused by cannabis, alcohol, opioids and other substances, according to a new report.

Clinicians and a former user say the findings from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) highlight the desperate need for more community supports to help those with mental health concerns.

The institute released the report, titled "Hospital stays for harm caused by substance use among youth age 10 to 24," on Thursday. The figures present a snapshot of the hospital stays in those age groups in 2017-2018, before the legalization of cannabis.

Last year, more than 23,500 youth were hospitalized for harm from substance use, the report says. In comparison, about 8,000 were hospitalized for illnesses related to the appendix. 

The findings highlight the need to focus attention on youth who experience harm caused by substance use and have mental health conditions occurring at the same time, as well as those who live in lower-income or rural and remote areas, the report's authors said.

Cannabis accounted for nearly 40 per cent of those hospital stays among youth, followed by alcohol-related hospitalizations at about 26 per cent.

OK, so can we stop saying pot is less harmful than alcohol? The frightening outbreak of lung disease among otherwise healthy youth in the US related to vaping, is also being related to the addition of THC drops to the mix. 7 people have died and several hundred made very ill.

Missed opportunities

Dr. Joanna Henderson, a psychologist and senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, says the report shows perspectives on substance abuse need to expand, especially when nearly 70 per cent of the hospitalizations for harm caused by substance use involve mental health conditions, as well.

And the questions is, which came first, the chicken or the egg?

That's nearly double the proportion among those aged 25 and older.

I have been reporting for years that pot is related to a great spike in the occurrence of schizophrenia in teenagers. There are numerous reports from all over the world. 

Teenagers who Smoke Cannabis Damage Their Brains for LIFE and May be More Likely to Develop Schizophrenia

Is Your Teen Smoking Pot? Is She Still Sane?

'The Link Between Marijuana and Psychosis is Significant'

Marketplace Tests Today's Marijuana and Finds It Very Dangerous for Under 25s

Pot Smoking Teens Suffer Brain Damage Well Into Adulthood

Another Study Links Pot Use to Increased Psychosis Development

Does Pot make you Crazy?

More Research on the Dangerous Effects of Marijuana on the Brain

Pot, Schizophrenia, and The Truth

ER Visits for Self-Harming Doubles in 8 Years in Ontario - Why?

Think Cannabis is Harmless? So Did I. But I Know Better Now

Pediatricians Need More Information on Medical Marijuana for Kids, Study Says

The Mad Rush to Legalize Pot Will Result in a Lot of Canadians Suffering Intolerably

"We need adequate services in the hospital but we also need to be thinking about how are we intervening sooner," said Henderson, who was not involved in the research.

"We are missing opportunities like schools, local malls … where young people are."

Young people need places in communities that are one-stop shops to connect them with employment, education, housing and health services, including mental health and substance use, she said.

'You're not alone'

Lucas Wade, 31, first started smoking cannabis at 17 "out of peer pressure," he said.  At age 20, he was toking daily for pleasure along with boozing. 

"I was admitted to hospital after my roommate found me after trying to suicide because I couldn't stop smoking pot, no matter what," Wade said. "I couldn't keep living that way."

Wade ended up homeless when a landlord evicted him for smoking indoors after signing a contract saying he wouldn't.

Wade studied social work and now works as a support counselor in Toronto, where he sees many youth with underlining mental health issues using substances as a coping mechanism.

The first step is to talk to someone close to you, such as a best friend, parent or sibling, Wade said.

(CIHI)

Remember, these numbers are from before cannabis was legalized. Next year's numbers will be considerably worse.

"If you're the youth, find a safe space or people where you can share and talk about this stuff because it is so hard. When you're in the throes of it, you feel so alone. You're not alone."

Previous research suggests young people with pre-existing mental health concerns can be at higher risk for problematic substance use and it occurs in the other direction as well, Henderson said.

Don't skip over that last line.  It occurs in the other direction as well means substance abuse can cause mental illness, as the many articles linked above indicate.

It's important not only to collect consistent data across Canada regularly to find any changes but to speak to young people about their experience with how services are delivered, she added.

About 17 per cent of the youth were hospitalized more than once in the same fiscal year, according to CIHI. That's another red flag for the need for better community supports, clinicians say.

Hospitalization rates varied by province and territory. The hospital stays are "the tip of the iceberg when it comes to estimating harm caused by substance use," CIHI said, and doesn't include fatal overdoses in the community.

Where to get help:

Canada Suicide Prevention Service: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text) | crisisservicescanada.ca (chat).

In Quebec (French): Association québécoise de prévention du suicide: 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553).

Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), www.kidshelpphone.ca (live chat counselling).

Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.

ER Visits for Self-Harming Doubles in 8 Years in Ontario - Why?

Some good theories listed below, but they are missing the most obvious

'New 18 now is 28': How screens delay teens' emotional maturity

Amina Zafar · CBC News 

Researchers said emergency department visits by those aged 13 to 17 in Ontario rose from 2009 to 2017, based on national data. Girls tend to show a greater willingness to seek mental health care than boys. (Shutterstock)

The number of teens who went to emergency departments in Ontario for injuring or poisoning themselves doubled from 2009 to 2017 — a surprisingly sharp rise, say Canadian health-care providers. They are calling for better ways to connect young people with mental health services.

Increasing rates of self-harm among teens in Canada, the U.S., Australia and Europe are a concern in part because those who deliberately harm themselves are at greater risk for repeated injury or for suicide.

In a study published this week in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, researchers looked at emergency department visits by those aged 13 to 17 in Ontario, based on national data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

"The number of kids who have at least one visit for self-harm in a given year basically doubled from 2009 to 2017 after it had been falling consistently from 2003 to 2009," said William Gardner, a senior scientist at the CHEO Research Institute who holds a senior research chair in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Ottawa.

Mental-health visits for anxiety and depression also rose starting in 2009.

Both the self-harm and anxiety trends pose a huge and worsening strain on the mental-health system for young people, Gardner said.

The big question is why. Gardner speculated on three potential reasons:

The launch of the iPhone in Canada in 2008 and rising smartphone use and engagement in social media.

The financial downturn in 2008 and its lingering damage through job losses and family instability.

A greater willingness to seek help after campaigns to reduce the stigma of mental illness.

Smartphones facilitated shifts in how people of all ages socialize.

We can do a better job of taking kids who show up in the

emergency department with mental health problems

and getting them into care in their community.

—  William Gardner

"For a certain group of vulnerable adolescents, kids who are at risk for various social and psychological problems already, a lot of them describe the experience of constant exposure to social anxiety [and] to bullying by peers as very stressful, and so that could be the cause of some of these problems."

For most people, Gardner believes, being online isn't terribly harmful. 

'The new 18 now is 28' because there is a delay in the emotional and social awareness and maturation of adult skills, says Dr. Chris Wilkes. (CBC)

In hospitals, decreasing stigma could also mean physicians who see a laceration on the arm now ask, "Did you cut yourself?" Previously, the question wasn't asked, and the cut would be classified as an injury, Gardner said.

But emergency departments aren't suited for teens needing continuing mental-health care.

"We can do a better job of taking kids who show up in the emergency department with mental health problems and getting them into care in their community."

Continuing a long-standing pattern, the increases in self-harm and emergency visits were higher among females than males.

In focus groups, girls often complain of incessant pressure to present a perfect image on Instagram, as well as a greater willingness to seek out care than boys, Gardner said.

Boys' aggression a 'mental health problem'

The problems boys face tend to manifest differently, such as trouble controlling their anger.

"They will get involved in various kinds of aggressive and deviant activities that could lead them to trouble with the criminal justice system, and we don't talk about those things as mental health problems but in many ways they are."

The study was excellent in its portrayal of a dramatic increase in self-harm happening across Canada, said Dr. Chris Wilkes. He heads the child and adolescent psychiatry division at the University of Calgary and wasn't involved in the research.

"What we say in the area of children's mental health and adolescent psychiatry is that the new 18 now is 28 because there is a delay in the emotional and social awareness and maturation of adult skills."

I have been expecting this for several years. Not because of social media - although I'm sure that is responsible for a lot of mental health issues, especially in young girls, but because of pot use. Check out this brief post from 2015 - 28% of 11-15 Year Olds Using Pot in Canada - Highest Rate in the World

Pot delays, or stops cold, the maturing process especially in children. Perhaps not all children but certainly enough to make it very obvious to anyone who bothers to look. There are numerous posts on this blog dealing with this concept and the well-known fact that pot triggers schizophrenia in as many as 1 in 6 teens.

Read eyes, not screens

More adolescents are living at home longer, often glued to screens. Wilkes called it a paradox that people have never been more connected yet alone. Online connections are no replacement for learning to read another person's eyes — in person.

"Emotional maturation takes time and it takes real experiences with relationships, and if you spend more and more time on screen time, you have less opportunities to practise these skills."

More broadly, Wilkes said, poorer teen relationships with parents, relatives and friends may have combined with cultural shifts to greater materialism and narcissism. Learning delayed gratification is at risk of being lost. 

Wilkes called Calgary ahead of the curve in providing walk-in mental health services in the community, in addition to national resources such as Sen. Stan Kutcher's teenmentalhealth.org.

On the front lines, school-based programs offer the best bang for the buck in prevention, he said.

"For every dollar you invest in early development you save $4 to $9 by reduced costs in education, justice, reduced mental health utilization and better employment prospects."

The future lies in integrating mental health and emergency department services, family and community resource hubs, acute care at home and peer support, Wilkes said.

Rates of self-harm visits in the study rose from 1.8 per 1,000 in 2009 to 4.2 per 1,000 by 2017. Over the same period, mental health visits increased from 13.5 per 1,000 to 24.1.

The teen research was funded by an unrestricted grant from the ScotiaBank Foundation.

Where to get help:

Canada Suicide Prevention Service: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text) | crisisservicescanada.ca (chat).

In Quebec (French): Association québécoise de prévention du suicide: 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553).

Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), www.kidshelpphone.ca (live chat counselling).

Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.

Another Study Links Pot Use to Increased Psychosis Development

Smoking pot daily raises psychosis risk,

study finds

Researchers analyzed data from a dozen sites across

Europe and Brazil from 2010 to 2015

The Associated Press 

Experts say the new study's findings have implications for jurisdictions legalizing marijuana

Smoking high-potency marijuana every day could increase the chances of developing psychosis by nearly five times, according to the biggest-ever study to examine the impact of pot on psychotic disorder rates.

The research adds to previous studies that have found links between marijuana and mental health problems, but still does not definitively pinpoint marijuana as the cause.

Psychotic disorders — in which people lose touch with reality — are typically triggered by factors including genetics and the environment. But experts say the new study's findings have implications for jurisdictions legalizing marijuana, warning they should consider the potential impact on their mental health services.

"If we think there's something particular about (high-potency) cannabis, then making that harder to get a hold of, could be a useful harm-reduction measure," said Suzanne Gage, of the University of Liverpool, who was not connected to the new study.

Researchers at King's College London and elsewhere analyzed data from a dozen sites across Europe and Brazil from 2010 to 2015. About 900 people who were diagnosed with a first episode of the disorder at a mental health clinic, including those with delusions and hallucinations, were compared with more than 1,200 healthy patients. After surveying the patients about their use of cannabis and other drugs, researchers found daily marijuana use was more common among patients with a first episode of psychosis compared with the healthy, control group.

Regular pot users 3X danger

Strong pot users 5X danger

Teens with heavy use of pot 8X danger

The scientists estimated that people who smoked marijuana on a daily basis were three times more likely to be diagnosed with psychosis compared with people who never used the drug. For those who used high-potency marijuana daily, the risk jumped to nearly five times. The paper was published online Tuesday by the journal Lancet. It was paid for by funders including Britain's Medical Research Council, the Sao Paulo Research Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.

"If you decide to use high-potency marijuana, you should bear in mind: Psychosis is a potential risk," said Dr. Marta Di Forti, of King's College London and the study's lead author. She said it was unknown how frequently people could smoke lower-potency marijuana without raising their likelihood of psychosis, but that less than weekly use appeared to pose no risk.

Di Forti and colleagues estimated that in Amsterdam, about half of new psychosis cases were associated with smoking high-potency pot.

Gage noted that it was possible that people with a family history of psychosis or other risk factors might be more susceptible to developing problems like psychosis or schizophrenia if they used cannabis.

"That could be the thing that tips the scale for some people," she said. "Cannabis for them could be an extra risk factor, but it definitely doesn't have to be involved. If you use cannabis, it doesn't mean you are definitely going to develop psychosis."

No age groups in study!

It just means you are playing Russian Roulette with your sanity and your future, especially if you are a teenager. This study, unfortunately, doesn't break down the risks to various age groups, but other studies show a dramatic increase in the risk of Schizophrenia developing in teens who use pot. At least one expert says there is a one in six probability of young teens developing full-blown Schizophrenia from using pot.

"If you smoke a lot of marijuana when you are young

or in your teens, your chance of having psychosis later

on in life is about eight times higher than other people,"

Dr. Bill MacEwan, assistant director of UBC's dept. of psychiatry

Dutch PM Warns Canadians Against Sparking Up

Mark Rutte is not my favourite person. His government is far-left, though not as far as Trudeau's. He, like other far-left governments in parts of the EU are putting their own women and children at risk by hiding the disastrous atrocities committed by migrants, in the name of political correctness. He also supported Islamic brigades in Syria that supported ISIS. So, no, I don't like Mark Rutte, but what he has to say about cannabis makes sense and comes from a country with 40 years of experience.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte and some cannabis at a dispensary in Ottawa, Canada

© (L) Reuters / Aris Oikonomou ; (R) Reuters / Chris Wattie

Canadians had barely enjoyed legal marijuana for even a fortnight when they received high-level advice against using it, from the unlikeliest of people: the prime minister of the Netherlands.

Mark Rutte’s warnings came on his Thursday visit to Canada, just over a week after its much-anticipated cannabis legalization. He and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau were talking pot use in front of a young audience in Ottawa.

The best policy on drugs for yourself is 'no first use.'

It sounds conservative, but I would urge you:

Don't try at all.

That, coming from the prime minister of a country where buying and using marijuana in designated spaces has been legal for over 40 years. Many of Amsterdam's five million annual tourists specifically flock to its "coffee shops" to spark up or eat pot edibles without fearing the long arm of the law.

One of the problems with today's cannabis is that it's

"so much stronger than when we were young,"

Naturally, young Canadians were interested in Rutte's experience – but didn't get the endorsement they perhaps expected. One of the problems with today's cannabis is that it's "so much stronger than when we were young," Rutte said. He then mentioned his friends' children who were having mental health problems from its use.

He then mentioned his friends' children

who were having mental health problems from its use.

“At least make sure that you don't move from this stuff to other drugs,” Rutte added, perhaps acknowledging that his advice may fall on deaf ears.

Canada is only the second country after Uruguay, and the first of the G20 countries, to fully legalize the growing, selling, and consumption of cannabis, with Trudeau saying the laws removed the “contact that people had with criminals.”

Despite his misgivings about cannabis use, Rutte said the Netherlands too were looking at potential reforms to their own laws, saying coffee shops now have no way of getting the product legally. He added a pilot project was now underway in 10 Dutch cities to fix that.

Like I said!

Let's Clear Up Some Misconceptions About Cannabis Addiction. First Off: Yes, It's Real

Here's what I've observed as a clinical psychologist researching and treating people with cannabis addiction

Dr. Jonathan Stea · for CBC News ·

Cannabis addiction is qualitatively different from a heroin addiction, for example, insofar as it is much less intense and not directly life-threatening. But it is also not trivial because it can lead to significant life-altering challenges. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

I am not a propagandist. I am not a spokesperson for Reefer Madness. I have, however, been pilloried with such accusations for writing about the very real issue of cannabis addiction.

With the legalization of cannabis in Canada arriving in just a couple of months — and provinces finalizing their plans for cannabis retail infrastructure — we should consider the multifaceted impact of a previously-prohibited substance suddenly becoming more readily available. And for roughly one in 10 people who try cannabis, one potential impact could be addiction.

Cannabis addiction is qualitatively different from a heroin addiction, for example, insofar as it is much less intense and not directly life-threatening. But it is also not trivial because it can lead to significant life-altering challenges, including problems with relationships, work, school and mental health. Indeed, one hallmark of addiction is when substance use directly and repeatedly activates the brain-reward system, ultimately leading to significant distress and interference with daily functioning.

Clearing up misconceptions

My particular focus on cannabis addiction is not meant to undermine or negate the potential benefits of cannabis, but rather it is a reflection of my role as a clinical psychologist who has researched and treated people with cannabis addiction for over 10 years.

Last month, I published a piece for Slate about cannabis addiction and was inundated with responses containing a multitude of misconceptions: that cannabis addiction is purely psychological, that cannabis withdrawal is not real, that only those with addictive personalities are susceptible and that cannabis addiction as a phenomenon does not exist at all. I want to address some of those misconceptions here.

For those who believe that cannabis addiction is not real: I encourage you to take a tour of an addiction treatment program. There, you will find people who voluntarily show up for help and are struggling to reassemble their lives as a consequence of an addiction to a substance that many people consider relatively harmless. 

Cannabis can directly and almost immediately change your emotional state. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Many people erroneously believe that cannabis is only addicting in the same way that anything can be addicting: work, exercise, shopping, video games, TV, Twitter, etc. While there is ongoing debate in the scientific literature about the status of what is sometimes called "process addictions" — or behavioural addictions that do not involve substances, such as sex or gambling or video games — cannabis differs from these activities insofar as it can act as an acutely psychoactive/mind-altering substance.

This means that cannabis can directly and almost immediately change your emotional state, such that your brain can become trained to respond to uncomfortable emotions with craving or a strong desire to use cannabis. Unfortunately, if a person practises coping with emotions with the use of substances, they forgo the opportunity to practise managing uncomfortable emotions in healthy ways.

Yes, other activities might also be used to immediately manage difficult emotions, but not via an exogenous and acutely mind-altering substance. And yes, eating candy might be thought of as a way to change your emotional state, but let's get real: eating candy and hitting a bong several times are changing your emotional state in qualitatively different ways.

Diagnosing addiction

Still, I can understand the skepticism many people experience when they hear the phrase "cannabis addiction." The scientific construct of addiction has a complex history and the concept itself is muddy because its meaning has had many iterations.

The diagnostic criteria of cannabis use disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), one of the main psychiatric texts that is used by mental health professionals to diagnose psychiatric and addictive disorders, includes features such as repeated use resulting in a failure to fulfil major role obligations; repeated use in hazardous situations; continued use despite social/interpersonal problems; cravings; tolerance; withdrawal; use for longer periods or in larger amounts than intended; persistent desire or unsuccessful attempts to control use; a great deal of time spent in activities related to use; reduced important social, occupational, or recreational activities; and continued use despite physical or psychological problems.

A misconception I often hear is that if cannabis addiction is real, it must only be psychologically addicting, not physically addicting. This is not true. Researchers have identified an endogenous cannabinoid system, cannabinoid receptors and cannabinoid antagonists, meaning there is a wealth of biological evidence that cannabis can produce both tolerance and withdrawal in animals as well as humans. There is also evidence that cannabis withdrawal is not rare – the majority of participants in cannabis treatment studies report withdrawal symptoms – and that it is clinically significant and meaningful because it can lead to distress, continued use and relapse. 

Research shows that cannabis withdrawal is similar to nicotine withdrawal: The DSM-5 includes diagnostic criteria for cannabis withdrawal and lists possible signs as including irritability, anger, aggression, nervousness, anxiety, sleep difficulty, decreased appetite, restlessness, depressed mood and some other possible physical symptoms (e.g., abdominal pain, shakiness, sweating, fever, chills, and headache).

Granted, cannabis withdrawal is seriously less intense than, say, an opioid withdrawal, but that does not mean it does not exist and that it does not affect those who experience its symptoms.

A final popular misconception I want to address is the idea that only people with an addictive personality can get addicted to cannabis. The biggest challenge with this view is the contentious status of the "addictive personality" construct. There is no scientific agreement on exactly what constitutes an addictive personality and how exactly it relates to the development of particular addictions.

The development of cannabis addiction appears to follow a principle in psychology called equifinality, which means that the end state of cannabis addiction can arise as the result of the interaction between many different genetic and environmental factors. In other words, two people with different genetic profiles and different personalities and different upbringings can both experience cannabis addiction.  

It is a shame that with respect to cannabis use, people often fail to understand that the helpful and harmful truths about cannabis can co-exist simultaneously. Instead, many prefer categorical, all-or-none thinking. The reality is that the legalization of recreational cannabis is complex and exciting and worrisome all at once. It doesn't make one a propagandist to acknowledge that fact.

Dr. Jonathan N. Stea is a registered and practising clinical psychologist in Calgary, with research and clinical expertise in addiction. He has published many peer-reviewed scientific research papers on topics related to cannabis, addiction and mental health. He provides assessment, treatment, and consultation services in a specialty outpatient program for concurrent addictive and psychiatric disorders.

Pediatricians Need More Information on Medical Marijuana for Kids, Study Says

Finally, someone other than me is asking about the effects of marijuana on kids,

but there are many more questions need answering

About half of Canadian doctors surveyed have child or

adolescent patients who have used cannabis

The Canadian Press 

Workers produce medical marijuana at Canopy Growth Corporation's Tweed facility in Smiths Falls, Ontario. In a survey released by the Canadian Paediatric Society on Thursday, many pediatricians expressed concern about the lack of evidence about medical marijuana's effectiveness and its potential risks. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

About half of pediatric doctors surveyed about cannabis say they've encountered a young patient who had used marijuana for a medical reason.

The questionnaire for the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program found 419 of 835 respondents had a patient who had used either authorized or unauthorized cannabis for some sort of medical relief.

The one-time study did not detail how many cases involved unauthorized use, the nature of the condition being treated or the ages of the patients.

But principal investigator Richard Belanger said he's surprised by the number of young cannabis users and says it points to the need for more information for doctors, parents and patients.

The Quebec City pediatrician, also a professor at Laval University, notes that more than a third of respondents — or 316 doctors — said they had been asked by a parent or adolescent patient to prescribe cannabis.

Only 34 doctors said they had done so, with many expressing reservations about efficacy, impacts to developing young brains, and concerns about abuse and dependence.

'Truly worrisome': Pot legalization will hurt youth unless changes made to proposed law, journal says

The survey was conducted in the spring of 2017 as part of the surveillance program's larger look at a host of hot-button issues, including Lyme disease, Zika virus and eating disorders.

'Not only an adult issue'

Belanger said researchers were surprised by how many kids and adolescents appeared to be turning to medical marijuana: "We thought it was less than that."

"We really want to make clear that cannabis is not only an adult issue, either for recreational but [also] medical purposes," Belanger said of the findings.

"Sometimes when we look at treatment we tend to forget kids, and it should not be the case."

Because kids have no voice. That's why people like Dr Belanger need to speak up twice as loud, 'cause politicians are certainly not listening to kids.

Dr. Richard Belanger, a Quebec pediatrician and principal investigator for the survey, says the use of medical marijuana for children is 'a burning issue' for doctors. (Veronique Cote/Handout photo via Canadian Press)

He suspected younger kids received authorized use for conditions including refractory seizures, cerebral palsy and chronic pain, while adolescents were more likely to be unauthorized users and to treat other conditions "such as sleep problems or anxiety."

Belanger said the higher-than-expected usage could also be because the doctors surveyed generally treat kids with chronic and severe conditions that may require alternative treatments, and because most respondents came from urban and academic centres more likely to handle severe cases.

The survey response rate was also just 31 per cent, which "may under or over represent the knowledge and/or experiences of Canadian pediatricians," said the study released Thursday.

Still, the findings raise questions about how impending legalization of recreational marijuana could impact unauthorized medical use.

"We're a bit anxious regarding that," said Belanger, pointing to "mixed perspectives" among doctors.

"From a pediatric perspective, there's seldom reason to authorize cannabis and maybe seizure is one of them, but still, there's no clear, no big evidence regarding that."

The survey found a clear majority of respondents had no knowledge or minimal knowledge on why cannabis might be prescribed for a child or youth and what products and dosages may be authorized.

"Paradoxically, they have a fairly positive view regarding cannabis use for medical purposes for certain conditions, despite the lack of solid scientific evidence regarding its safety and efficacy," said the survey, noting that could be due to difficult cases with limited therapeutic options.

Although medical marijuana has been legal since 2001, many questions remain, said Belanger: "It's a burning issue."

"There's a large space for the [Canadian Paediatric Society] or any other association or authorities to give more information on what are the clear facts regarding the possible benefits and the likely adverse events that can be related to medical use of cannabis."

Belanger noted that the data was gathered prior to the publication of a pivotal study evaluating the use of cannabidiol (CBD) to treat epilepsy among children with Dravet syndrome. The study was in the New England Journal of Medicine in the spring of 2017.

Still, he bemoaned a dearth of material to offer guidance. While more studies are underway, he said, they mostly look at CBD and its effects on seizures and severe conditions.

See below (More Potent Pot) to see why CBD is being bred out of pot.

"There are still problematic issues of studying cannabis with kids. I won't counsel anyone from entering a study exposing someone to cannabis if they don't have severe conditions.... On the contrary, in the adult field, there are many more studies regarding cannabis either for pain related to arthritis, pain related to fibromyalgia or spasticity regarding multiple sclerosis."

In the meantime, many parents and adolescents are asking for cannabis prescriptions.

"I think that everyone right now is aware that cannabis is not a simple thing," said Belanger. "When someone starts using cannabis for a long period of time at an early age, it's probably at that time that the greater impact is likely. But at the same time, if your kids have seizures several times a day, what's the worse issue? It's kind of a tricky question for parents."

There are many other questions that need to be answered, like:

What happens to a kid who gets a steady stream of 2nd hand pot smoke?

What happens to a kid who eats a handful of marijuana edibles?

What does a one-time overdose on pot do to a small child?

How are police and social services supposed to deal with chronic pot users with small children?

What little we do know:

Medical journal calls for tighter rules on legal pot to protect young

Powerful pot strains put developing brains of young people at risk, CMAJ editorial says

CBC News 

A pot smoker has a joint at the annual 4/20 day, which promotes the use of marijuana, in Vancouver.

Cannabis shouldn't be used by young people, a medical journal editorial says. (David Horemans/CBC)

Marijuana legalization will harm the health of youth unless major changes to the proposed law are made to protect their developing brains, a medical journal editorial says.

Dr. Diane Kelsall, interim editor in chief of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says Bill C-45 fails to safeguard vulnerable youth.

"There are a number of things in the legislation that are truly worrisome," Kelsall said in an interview. "If the intent is truly a public health approach and to protect our youth this legislation is not doing it."

Canadian young people ranked first for cannabis use in North America and Europe, with one-third saying they tried it at least once by age 15, the Canadian Pediatric Society says. 

Before the federal election, physicians said the right legislation to legalize pot might curb teen toking by restricting access.

The editorial takes issue with several aspects of the bill, which:

- Sets the minimum age to buy recreational marijuana at 18. Kelsall calls that too young given evidence suggesting that the human brain doesn't mature until about age 25.

- Allows people to grow pot at home, which Kelsall said increases the likelihood of diversion to young people.

- Lacks national standards for retail distribution.

- Lacks limits on potency of strains despite increased risk of harmful effects with higher-strength cannabis.

The guinea pigs are the kids

"From my perspective, from my colleagues' perspective, this legislation is being pushed through," Kelsall said. "We're just very worried that we're conducting a national experiment and unfortunately the guinea pigs are kids."

On Monday, Health Minister Jane Philpott was asked by reporters if she was prepared to change the age. 

"Provinces and territories will have the opportunity to address the age," Philpott said. "Our bill is not entirely through the legislative process. It is possible that it could change along the way."

Making a product legal does not mean it is advisable or recommended, Philpott said. 

Marijuana as a psychosis trigger

At the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, psychiatrist Romina Mizrah uses PET scanners to study how cannabis use changes brain function in young people with an average age of 20.

In young people who regularly use cannabis, preliminary evidence points to a reduction in an enzyme that regulates the endocannabinoid system that buffers key chemistry within the brain, said Mizrahi.

"There is some understanding at this point from epidemiological studies that certainly marijuana is a trigger," said Mizrahi, director of the Focus on Youth Psychosis Prevention program. "Marijuana use predates the psychosis. Whether it causes the psychosis, that's a different question and that we don't know."

I suspect there needs to be a susceptibility toward psychosis present, but that susceptibility might reside in a very large segment of the population, and, it might remain dormant through a person's entire life without a trigger like marijuana.

It may be possible in the future to determine whether or not a person is susceptible to psychosis and should therefore avoid pot like the plague. But it isn't possible now, nevertheless, we rush in anyway.

Studies using MRI scanners also show physical and functional changes in the developing brains of regular users that are associated with damage, Kelsall said.

More potent pot

Mike Stroh, 35, of Toronto says he's part of a generation who grew up smoking current strains of marijuana, which have been genetically selected to produce a powerful high, with THC levels of about 20 per cent. That's up from around seven per cent in the 1960s and '70s.       

And the methodology of raising the THC requires the reduction of CBD. It's CBD that may be helpful to those mentioned above with epilepsy or certain other conditions. CBD may also decrease the risk of contracting schizophrenia or other psychosis. So, of course, we remove it to make the THC more powerful. How insane are we? 

If we had the research, the government could restrict the amount of THC and ensure a certain level of CBD be present. This would reduce the risk of developing psychosis. But, our extreme left government cannot wait for such research, we must have pot legalized and we must have it now.

"I was into sports," Stroh recalled. "I wanted to do stuff at school, but I wouldn't make it to the practice, I wouldn't make it to the tryouts, because I was either up all night selling drugs, trying to get them, fall asleep in a drug-induced coma, and then wake up in a mess."

Mike Stroh with his kids. Stroh is now a mental-health advocate who wants to show recovery is possible. (Mike Stroh)

Stroh also lived with depression and anxiety and said he was never able to like himself. "That's the torment that brought me to my knees." He felt robbed of being himself and the opportunity for emotional maturity, cognitive development and professional opportunities.  

"Because marijuana doesn't bring you to your knees as quickly as other drugs may … there's this illusion that because you can be high and do things, it's not bad, so to speak."

Stroh is now a mental health advocate who draws on his personal and family experiences to educate.

"We need to teach kids how to take care of themselves so when they do feel anxious and do feel depressed, scared or … frustrated with life, because yes, that's a part of being a teenager, then they learn that there's so many things they can do to help themselves as opposed to use drugs."

The Mad Rush to Legalize Pot Will Result in a Lot of Canadians Suffering Intolerably

Ottawa isn't putting a cap on the potency

of many cannabis products

New regulations unveiled today don't place upper limits

on THC content

Catharine Tunney · CBC News 

A worker collects cuttings from a marijuana plant at the Canopy Growth Corporation facility in Smiths Falls, Ont., in this Jan. 2018 photo. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)

Health Canada has released its new regulations for the legal recreational marijuana market, but they don't include a clear limit on how much tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the main psychoactive component in cannabis — can be sold in many products.

As of Oct. 17, Canadians will be permitted to legally buy fresh or dried cannabis, cannabis oil, plants and seeds, and to possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent in public.

​Government officials, speaking on background, updated reporters on the regulations for producing and marketing those products during a conference call Wednesday morning.

The regulations, which will be officially published July 11, say THC cannot be added to a dried product and place limits on the net weight of dried cannabis products, but do not impose a cap on the potency of dried cannabis.

The officials said the lack of a threshold fits into the goal of the government's bill.

"There are significant varieties of cannabis, some with high levels of THC. This is consistent with the medical regulations that exist today. There is not a hard cap on the potency of dried cannabis," one official said.

"(It's) a means to move to a regulated, diverse marketplace that can compete with the illegal marketplace and successfully achieve the government's objectives."

It's a means of ensuring many Canadian teenagers will contract Schizophrenia or other psychosis. The high potency THC in cannabis is accomplished by replacing 'cannabidiol' with THC. Cannabidiol helps protect the human brain from some of the damaging aspects of THC, psychosis, for instance.

In breeding cannabidiol out of pot and replacing it with higher levels of THC, pot becomes exponentially more dangerous than ever. That's why in the Netherlands, a government committee has recommended declaring pot with levels of THC higher than 15% - a hard drug. 

However, there are strict potency rules for cannabis products other than dried marijuana. For example, cannabis products intended to be "administered orally, rectally, vaginally or topically" must not exceed a maximum yield quantity of 10 milligrams of THC.

Cannabis products "intended to be used in the human eye" will be banned.

As the official legalization date looms, some have questioned whether there will be enough product to serve the new legal recreational market.

Federal licences will be required to cultivate and process recreational cannabis, but they won't be processed until after legalization comes into effect.

Still, officials say they're pretty confident they'll have enough legal marijuana to meet the demand when legalization kicks in this fall.

Provincial governments are responsible for determining how and where recreational cannabis is sold. In some provinces — including Ontario, Quebec and most of Atlantic Canada — the stores will be run by the provincial governments. Elsewhere, the private sector will take the lead.

When asked about supply, officials speaking on background said they're pretty confident there will be enough cannabis for opening day.

According to the regulations, licence applications will be assessed on merit and a record of previous drug-related offences, including trafficking, won't automatically disqualify an applicant. So having a criminal background won't necessarily prevent Canadians from getting into the industry.

In March, Health Canada unveiled its proposals for the packaging and regulation of recreational cannabis.

The regulations released Wednesday confirm that cannabis products will have to be sold in plain packaging, with strict guidelines on logos, colours and branding, and must include health warnings.

The packaging also would have to indicate how much of the primary active compounds in cannabis — THC and cannabidiol (CBD) — are in a particular product.

Limits for micro growers

The rules outline how the federal government would regulate small cultivators and processors.

A micro-cultivator — someone growing pot on a small, boutique-like scale — will be restricted to a "plant canopy area" of no more than 200 square meters.

The regulations also impose rules on security and state where growers can set up shop. For example, a producer can't grow and harvest plants outside if the operation is adjacent to a school, a public playground, a daycare facility or any other public place frequented mainly by people under 18 years of age.

I would like to see some mention of the protection of children from 2nd hand pot smoke, and from consuming edibles. I don't see any mention of small children in this or any other article by the government on marijuana. Children are voiceless - those responsible for them must be twice as vigilant and protective. I don't see any research in this field at all.