Weed Archives - Marijuana Impact Group

California Marijuana Impact Report – 2025

Dale — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 19:41:17 +0000

This product was a joint effort by the California based HIDTA Regional initiatives to provide data and information regarding cannabis in California and its impacts to matters of public health and public safety. In addition to information on potency, use rates, traffic fatalities, and other public health data, this report also highlights the recent increase of pesticides and fumigants produced in China being found at cannabis cultivation sites in California.

This is a comprehensive and well written document for anyone seeking information specific to cannabis and the state of California.

Read Time: 60 minutes +

Photo: California HIDTA

Access full report here

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Cannabis Use Disorders & DNA: A Genetic Link?

admin — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 01:34:20 +0000

A new genetic study, the largest of its kind to date, examined over 1 million individuals that suggests those with a Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) and adverse health issues, may be associated to traits found in their DNA. Researchers examined CUD data from 1,054,365 people associated in the “Million Veteran Program”. They identified four ancestorial origin groups for their meta-analysis (i.e., European, African, Americas and East Asian). At the genetic level, all ancestorial groups, except the East Asian cohort, showed varying levels of inheritability of traits that could be associated to being at risk of developing a CUD couple with adverse health outcomes. The ancestorial group with the highest number of genetic placeholders was “European”.

The researchers (Levey, D. et.al.) note that a person with a CUD has an increased “genetic liability” risk for adverse mental and physical health outcomes. A genetic liability that an individual consumer would have no way of knowing that they are at risk. This was concerning to the authors given the continued increases in cannabis use and expanded legalization.

Read time: 20+ Minutes (Technical / Scientific)

Photo: MTH

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Heavy Metals: Levels of Lead & Cadmium Pose Health Risks in Cannabis Smokers

admin — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 20:57:48 +0000

When compared to non-smokers, those who smoke exclusively cannabis, daily or near daily, had elevated levels of Lead and Cadmium in their systems. Lead and Cadmium are classified as “Heavy Metals“ that can be harmful to the human body. “Significant exposure to cadmium can cause lung cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm, while significant exposure to lead can slow children’s growth and development and damage the brain and nervous system”. (Stolbach, A., John Hopkins Toxicologist, NPR, December 17, 2022.)

Researchers McGraw, K. (et.al.) are suggesting that marijuana is a source of cadmium and lead exposures in the August edition of Environmental Health Perspectives. They noted that the cannabis plant is a “hyperaccumulator” for metals naturally found in soil, water, chemicals, and pesticides. This study involved over 7,000 participants between 2005 until 2018.

The authors also noted that smoking both cannabis and tobacco is associated with elevated levels of both cadmium and of lead when compared to non-users of either product. Daily or near daily use increases this exposure risk to the individual.

Read Time: 15 minutes.

DOWNLOAD STUDY HERE

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Marijuana Use During Pregnancy – Increased Risks to Newborns

admin — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 00:39:52 +0000

Some people believe that using marijuana during a pregnancy represents little to no risk to the unborn child, which is not the case. Authors of a new meta-analysis report (G. Marchand et.al) noted that marijuana use, during a pregnancy, has increased health risks to the unborn child. Risks such as low birth weight, small gestational size, risk of preterm delivery and greater risk of admission to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The authors cited that up to 60 percent of women who smoke marijuana continue to do so during their pregnancy. Women who consumed marijuana during a pregnancy had a significantly greater risk of an adverse neonatal outcomes than did women who abstained from use.

This is a systemic review of 16 studies, involving over 59,000 patients, concerning in utero marijuana exposures and birth outcomes. It demonstrates that the benefit of abstinence during pregnancy is that it may result in decreased health risks to newborns.

Read Time: 10 – 15 minutes

Photo: unsplash.com / H. Naidoo

Download Full Report

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Ontario Canada: Pediatric Cannabis Exposure Cases On The Rise

admin — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:04:10 +0000

Pediatric cannabis exposures have increased by nearly 300 percent in Ontario Canada since 2016. Canada legalized marijuana (raw flower only) in 2018. This was expanded in 2020 to include sales of cannabis infused edible products. In turn, Emergency Department (ED) health care providers in Ontario have seen an increase in child patients, ages 0 -9 years (mean age of 3.8 yrs), being treated for exposure to marijuana products.

Released in JAMA Network (JAMA Netw Open. Januray 7, 2022) the authors cite the introduction of the edibles to the marketplace was instrumental in the increase observed in admissions and severity of symptoms in the children. The rate for the Ontario pediatric exposures was found to be seven times higher when compared to those found in Colorado after adult use / commercial marijuana was legalized in the 2012 elections.

This report involved a review of 2.35 million children records in Ontario between January 1, 2016 to March 31, 2021 and an associated 522 cannabis exposure cases.

Read time: < 10 minutes

Photo: unsplash.com / A. Romansa

Click Link To View Article Abstract

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2787715?resultClick=3

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