The Long Haul: Cannabis

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Welcome to The Long Haul! Every week, I’ll explore a longevity topic and then give a roundup of the big news in longevity.

Let’s talk weed!

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Today's Topic: Cannabis

What is Cannabis?

Cannabis is a plant made up of over 120 components, known as cannabinoids. The two most well-known components are:

1. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): the main psychoactive ingredient, causing the “high”
2. Cannabidiol (CBD): A non-psychoactive ingredient known to counteract the effects of THC

With widespread legalization, cannabis use has been drastically increasing across all age groups. Research around the substance has also grown significantly with competing sides arguing about its dangers and benefits. [1]

But this is not the weed your parents used to smoke. The average THC levels in cannabis have risen from 1-4% in the 1970s to 15-30% today, and that’s changed things. [2]

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How does cannabis impact our longevity?

Adolescent cannabis use has significant impacts on brain development and is associated with several disorders:

• Anxiety
• Psychotic symptoms
• Increased impulsivity
• Loss of learning capability
• Motor control changes
• Substance use disorders [3]

And the impact doesn’t go away, former heavy users aged 57-75 with a history of use in adolescence are shown to have a significant reduction of gray matter in the brain in regions important to memory. [3]

And as we age it’s no better. In a 1000-person longitudinal study, long-term cannabis users (who consume cannabis at least once/week) showed accelerated biological aging. Put plainly, weed ages people and kills memory. [4]

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Can you reverse the negative impacts?

Unfortunately, there’s no way to reverse the impact of cannabis use. For current users, reducing usage and/or ensuring the consumption of strains with higher CBD concentrations could improve outcomes.

CBD counteracts the negative effects of THC and cannabis users who use strains with higher CBD are shown to have less cognitive impairment as the cannabinoid provides a protective effect against the grey matter degeneration discussed. [3]

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How can we use cannabis to our benefit?

Now here’s the other side. Cannabis is also shown to have a ton of positive impacts.

First and foremost, no deaths have ever been attributed to the direct effects of cannabis, making it one of the safest pain medications to exist. [5]

Cannabis has been proven beneficial for:

• Childhood seizure disorders
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite

And CBD specifically is beneficial for:

• Blood pressure
• Inflammation
• Addiction
• Anxiety
• GI disorders

There’s so much research on how cannabis positively impacts health conditions there’s an entire review dedicated to summarizing it – you can check it out here. ​

It’s hard to argue against cannabis for medical use.

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So what do I do?

Recreational cannabis consumption can be harmful if the ratio of THC to CBD is too high.

For medicinal use, cannabis appears to have a ton of benefits, with most of them being because of CBD.

So consume away, just make sure you’re watching CBD content to stay healthy.

The Haul: What you can’t miss in longevity this week

Research

• ​Metformin reduces dementia risk in diabetics​

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News

• ​Donor stem cell treatment alleviates knee osteoarthritis: it’s safer and more effective than knee replacement and can possibly halt disease progression

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Thanks for reading.

– Robyn

The past 3 issues have been topics suggested by readers! If you’re interested in a specific topic, reply and let me know.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8346164/

[2] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cognitive-effects-of-long-term-cannabis-use-in-midlife-202206142760

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8177073/

[4] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568(22)00201-X

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3998228/

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​DISCLAIMER: None of this is medical advice. This content is strictly educational.