Title
Medical consequences of marijuana use: A review of current literature
Abstract
With the advent of legalization of marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes, and the increase use of marijuana, healthcare providers will be increasingly confronted with marijuana users as patients in clinical environments. While there is vast literature regarding the societal and mental health harms associated with marijuana use, there is a paucity of reviews of the potential consequences of marijuana use on physical health or medical conditions. We examine the recent literature on the physical harms associated with illicit and legal marijuana administration. We surveyed the peer-reviewed medical literature from 1998 to 2013 of studies assessing the association of marijuana use and physical diseases. We conclude that healthcare providers should be cognizant that the existing literature suggests that marijuana use can cause physical harm. However, evidence is needed, and further research should be considered, to prove causal associations of marijuana with many physical health conditions.
Department(s)
Biomedical Sciences
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-013-0419-7
Keywords
Marijuana, Medical consequences, Psychiatry, Review, Substance use and related disorders
Publication Date
12-1-2013
Recommended Citation
Gordon, Adam J., James W. Conley, and Joanne M. Gordon. "Medical consequences of marijuana use: a review of current literature." Current Psychiatry Reports 15, no. 12 (2013): 419.
Journal Title
Current Psychiatry Reports
