Cannabis is the third most widely used drug worldwide, after alcohol and tobacco. In the current environment, with pressures for its legalisation, a narrative review was carried out based on recent literature to update the evidence on the effects of its recreational use.
Nineteen articles on consequences at the organ level and six on harmful actions in the psychiatric sphere were selected.
At the organ level, there is an association between cannabis use and cardiovascular pathology (AMI, stroke, arrhythmias and sudden death); at the respiratory level, there is an association with chronic bronchitis and altered lung volumes. Oncological risk has been seen with non-seminoma testicular cancer and increased likelihood of developing primary oropharyngeal cancer. In pregnancy, there is an association with the risk of low birth weight and increased neonatal ICU admissions. At the cognitive level, impairments in memory, attention and processing, as well as in driving have been demonstrated.
At the psychiatric level, a relationship between cannabis use and the development of schizophrenia, psychosis and anxiety, together with depression, has been observed, with no change in their frequency and clinical presentation in the last 5 years.
Authors
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Vicente R. Ferri Reig - Hospital de la Vega Baja, Orihuela, Alicante, España.
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Carmen María Sánchez Perona - Centro de Salud de San Javier, Murcia, España.
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Aarati Vaswani Bolchand - Servicio de Urgencias. Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Tenerife, España.
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Miguel Galicia Paredes - Servicio de Urgencias. Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Tenerife, España.
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Guillermo Burillo-Putze - Servicio de Urgencias. Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Tenerife, España. / Red de estudio de drogas en Atención Primaria (RIAPAD). / Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, España.
Keywords:
Cannabis; organic effects; cognitive; psychiatric consequences.