Chances are if you are reading this article, you suspect that you or someone that you know consumes too much cannabis. You are likely worried because you heard of scary information about the ‘long-term effects of consuming too much cannabis,’ possibly in a high school health class. It is important to note that cannabis scare tactic claims along those lines almost always fail to account for contributing factors such as poor diet and genetics (among other things).
To clarify, the topic of this article is different from someone consuming too much cannabis in one sitting. It is definitely possible for someone to consume too much cannabis in one sitting. If that is you, you should check out our previous articles dedicated to the topics of what to do if you get too high from cannabis, and how long do the effects of cannabis last?
What Does Science Say About Long-Term Heavy Cannabis Use?
According to multiple studies, long-term cannabis use is not causally associated with either significant or residual detrimental effects on cognitive performance. It is also not independently associated with significant, long-term changes in brain morphology, nor is it associated with either a significant or long-term adverse impact on intelligence quotient.
Long-term cannabis use is also not associated with cognitive differences in older people. According to yet another peer-reviewed study, long-term cannabis use is not associated with health problems in mid-life. What long-term cannabis is associated with is a lower BMI, among other positive outcomes, both physically and mentally.
Keep Cannabis Use In Context
Ultimately, how much cannabis someone consumes and what negative impact it has on their life, if any, is up to them to determine. What constitutes ‘too much’ for one person may be a drop in the bucket to someone else. Different people have different tolerance levels and life responsibilities.
If life tasks and responsibilities are getting handled and people are healthy, then their cannabis use is obviously not an issue if they don’t believe it to be. No one has ever died from consuming cannabinoids in recorded human history, unlike many other substances, including alcohol. To read about how much safer cannabis is compared to alcohol, check out the article that we previously published on the topic.