Understand recreational marijuana

Q: Can you help me convince my 27-year-old son that recreational marijuana is not completely benign? I am worried that he’s risking his health.

Janine G., Boulder, Colorado

A: We’re just beginning to understand the vices and virtues of recreational marijuana and the medical use of its active ingredients. That’s the case because the Drug Enforcement Agency labels it as a Schedule 1 drug, and it’s been virtually impossible to do studies with it, despite the fact that 47 states, the District of Columbia, and four of five U.S. territories allow some form of cannabis use! Fortunately, observational and retrospective studies, in which people share what their experiences have been with marijuana, do provide a pretty good roadmap to the trouble associated with its recreational use.

Cardiovascular problems: A new Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association highlights studies that have found an association between cannabis use and heart woes. Specifically heart attacks, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and stroke.

— Six percent of folks under the age of 50 who’ve had a heart attack also are cannabis users.

— People age 18 to 44 who are frequent marijuana users are two and a half times more likely to have a stroke than nonusers.

— Even using once in the past 30 days raises your risk of stroke by over 75%.

Risky medication interactions: Another new study conclusively shows cannabinoids (they’re cannabinol and the active constituents of cannabis) can interact with prescription medications and block or amplify the effects of everything from blood thinners and heart medicines to antifungals and antibiotics. That’s especially true for recreational pot, say the researchers from Penn State College of Medicine, because it can deliver cannabinoids at concentrations 10 to 100 times higher than medicinal doses.

Driving dangers: Recreational pot legalization in Colorado has led to 75 more traffic fatalities annually and a whole lot more accidents. Studies show that’s because cannabis increases response time and lane weaving and dampens down neurocognitive and neuromotor skills needed to drive safely.