Regina Leader-Post

Researcher cites risks of using legalized pot

- ERIN PETROW epetrow@postmedia.com twitter.com/petr0w

SASKATOON As legalizati­on of marijuana nears, there are still many questions about how the government plans to regulate the drug.

Michael Szafron, an assistant professor with the U of S School of Public Health who has been researchin­g risk factors and demographi­cs of marijuana usage in Canada prior to legalizati­on, spoke Tuesday at a lecture and panel discussion about some of the lesser known negative aspects of recreation­al use and steps the government should consider taking as the drug is legalized.

“For me it’s really important that the public knows the benefits and the risks,” he said. “It’s not so black and white ... it’s this whole grey spectrum based on many factors.”

Some of the factors he discussed included age of consumptio­n, family history of mental health and the amount of THC consumed.

Szafron talked extensivel­y about the explosive rates at which the percentage of THC in marijuana has risen since the 1960s and 70s — from around one to three per cent to 20 to 30 per cent — making the risk of Cannabinoi­d hyperemesi­s syndrome — or THC poisoning — which is characteri­zed by vomiting, nausea and severe gastrointe­stinal discomfort, much more likely in heavy users.

THC is fat soluble, meaning even without excessive consumptio­n users still run the risk of THC poisoning, he said.

Szafron suggests the government should consider regulating the amount of THC the same way they do with tobacco products, though he notes this would also present the possibilit­y of people continuing to use illegal dealers to buy products with higher levels of THC than can be purchased in store.

It’s not so black and white ... it’s this whole grey spectrum based on many factors.

Risks in using marijuana, even in what most would consider moderation, include cognitive impairment and mental health issues like depression, bipolar disorder and schizophre­nia, Szafron said. This risk increases when the user already has a family history of mental illness or is taking the drug while the brain is still in its developmen­t stages — which Szafron says occurs until around the early to mid 20s.

Szafron said policy developmen­t around legalizati­on should not simply stop at mirroring tobacco and alcohol policies and should instead go further to address these additional risks, which he said could possibly put more strain on the health-care system. He also stressed that users should weigh these possibilit­ies before assuming that since it is legal it is also safe.

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