Widely Available Potent Marijuana Raises Concerns About Health Risks

NPR (5/15, Chatterjee) reports scientists are concerned that the expansion of legislation allowing people across the US to buy and consume marijuana is exposing consumers to cannabis that is extremely potent. As a result, researchers “who study marijuana and its effects on the body” and emergency room physicians “say they’re starting to see more patients who come into the ER with weed-associated issues.” According to one study of marijuana seized by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, “the potency increased from about 4% THC in 1995 to about 12% in 2014,” while another study showed that by 2017, “the potency of illicit drug samples had gone up to 17.1% THC.”