Marijuana users have statistically higher amounts of lead and cadmium in their blood and urine than non-marijuana users, according to a new study.
Marijuana users in the study group had 27 percent higher blood lead levels and 21 percent higher urinary lead levels than non-users, according to the report. Survey from the perspective of environmental hygiene Published on Wednesday. Users also had 22% higher blood cadmium concentrations and 18% higher urinary cadmium concentrations than nonusers.
“Both cadmium and lead stay in the body for quite some time,” said lead author Tiffany Sanchez, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, according to CNN.
“Cadmium is absorbed by the renal system and filtered through the kidneys. So when you look at urinary cadmium, it reflects your systemic burden—how much you have ingested during long-term chronic exposure.” Become.”
Investigation result:Half of Americans have tried marijuana. See how many people say they still do.
No matter how much lead you have in your body, it’s not safe. US Environmental Protection Agency. The agency said lead exposure has declined in recent decades, but it still poses a serious risk to public health.
The EPA also considers cadmium exposure harmful because it is associated with kidney disease and lung cancer in humans and fetal abnormalities in animals. The EPA has set specific limits for cadmium. air, food, water.
“Our results suggest that marijuana is a source of cadmium and lead exposure,” the study said. “There is a need to conduct research on cannabis use and cannabis contaminants, especially metals, to address the public health concerns associated with the growing number of cannabis users.”
Survey results show that marijuana is the third most used drug in the world.
The study measured the blood and urine of over 7,000 users
The study performed blood and urine tests on 7,254 people who had reported using marijuana in the past 30 days to determine heavy metal levels.
Sanchez told CNN that this study differs from most studies that measure metal concentrations in cannabis plants rather than people who consume them. He also examined data from the annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which tracks the health of Americans, from 2005 to 2018.
According to a CNN report, Sanchez said the study could not find out whether self-reported cannabis users were using medical or recreational cannabis. He said future studies need to assess that to conclusively determine whether medical users or recreational users have higher metal levels.
Substance use in the United States
More than 61 million Americans age 12 and older will be using illegal drugs by 2021, with marijuana being the most common, according to data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services National Survey on Drug Use and Health. It is said that This date shows that 52.5 million people have used cannabis in 2021.
According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, drug abuse and drug disorders are more common among young men, with the highest rates of drug use among 18- to 25-year-olds.
According to the National Drug Use and Health Survey, by 2021, “nearly two in five young people aged 18 to 25 will use illegal drugs, and one in three young people aged 18 to 25 will He was using marijuana.”
According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, most American adults “have consumed alcohol at least once in their lifetime,” and an average of more than 140,000 people die each year from the effects of alcohol.
Marijuana use statistics on age, gender and education
Half of Americans say they’ve tried marijuana for the first time, according to Gallup annual report Consumption habit survey It went on sale earlier this month.
Gallup previously said that current cannabis use is most common among young people ages 18 to 34, accounting for 29%. Among current users, adults aged 35-54 account for 17% of him, and adults aged 55 and over account for 9% of him.
According to Gallup, the difference between male and female cannabis users is not significant. Meanwhile, adults without a college degree are almost twice as likely to smoke cannabis than college graduates. Only 12% of Republicans use marijuana, compared to 21% of Democrats and 17% of independents.
Contributor: Thao Nguyen
