Study Finds Risk of Dementia Rises with Heavy Marijuana Use

People who require emergency treatment or hospitalization due to marijuana use may be at increased risk of dementia, according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology.

Heavy marijuana use is associated with memory problems, birth defects, and cancer. Powerful marijuana products and cannabis use disorder are causing such serious health problems that some people have needed treatment in a hospital or emergency room. Researchers writing in JAMA Neurology now say those people may be at greater risk of being diagnosed with dementia.

The study examined more than 6 million adults age 45 or older with no history of dementia. Those who needed “acute care” — that is, hospitalization or emergency treatment — due to marijuana use were 72% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia within five years compared to the general population, after adjusting for other factors.

Studies like this one should serve as an important warning to Arkansans. In the past four years, there have been multiple efforts to legalize marijuana by writing it into the state constitution or by letting companies manufacture and sell dangerous drugs made from hemp.

But more and more, researchers are finding that regular marijuana use may raise the risk for heart attack, stroke, or heart failure — especially among people with other underlying health issues.

Studies closely link marijuana use with increased risk for depression and bipolar disorder and higher rates of schizophrenia in young men.

Frequent marijuana use — especially during adolescence — is associated with lower cognitive abilities, including poorer memory, attention, and learning. These effects may continue even after someone stops using marijuana.

All of this simply further underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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