The growing use and legalization of cannabis are leading to increased exposures across all age groups, including in adolescence.
The touting of its medicinal values stems from anecdotal reports related to treatment of a broad range of illnesses including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, arthritis, obesity, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress, inflammatory bowel disease, and anxiety.
However, it is critical that societal passions not obscure objective assessments of any potential and realized short- and long-term adverse effects of cannabis, particularly with respect to age of onset and chronicity of exposure.
This critical review focuses on evidence-based research designed to assess both therapeutic benefits and harmful effects of cannabis exposure, and is combined with an illustration of the neuropathological findings in a fatal case of cannabis-induced psychosis.