“Is medical cannabis safe for my patients?” A practical review of cannabis safety considerations

Summary & key facts

This paper is a practical review that looks at how safe medical cannabis is for patients. The authors read and summed up many studies to list common side effects, serious risks, and groups who need extra care. They found that mild effects like sleepiness and dizziness happen often, while serious problems are less common but more likely in people with heart disease, a history of psychosis, or heavy use of high-THC products. The review points out drug interactions, risks from smoking cannabis, and the chance of dependence, and it emphasizes careful prescribing and monitoring for people who try medical cannabis.

Key facts:

• Short-term side effects such as sleepiness, dizziness, dry mouth, and upset stomach are common for people using medical cannabis.
• Serious harms, like new psychotic symptoms or heart-related events, are uncommon but happen more in people who already have heart disease or a history of psychosis.
• Products with higher THC (the main psychoactive part of cannabis) raise the risk of thinking problems, anxiety, and psychotic reactions more than products with mostly CBD (a non-psychoactive part).
• Using smoked cannabis brings respiratory risks similar to tobacco smoke, while non-smoking ways of taking cannabis reduce those lung harms.
• Some people develop dependence or experience withdrawal when they stop using cannabis after regular use.
• Cannabis and some cannabis products can interact with other medicines because they change how the liver processes drugs, so mixing them can change the strength or side effects of other treatments.
• Cannabis impairs driving and other tasks that need attention and quick reactions, even if the person feels only mildly affected.

Topics

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Homelessness and Social Issues Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Cannabidiol Cannabis Computer science Computer security Dosing Economic growth Economics Effects of cannabis Health care Intensive care medicine Law Medical cannabis Medical emergency Medicine MEDLINE Patient safety Pharmacology Political science Psychiatry Risk assessment

Substances

Cannabis medical cannabis

Conditions & symptoms

Addiction Anxiety Chronic Pain Addiction or harmful habbits Anxiety or worry Chronic pain Poor sleep