Doctor's Corner, Research

Cannabis Across Life: Early Adulthood

November 27, 2024 08:00 am ET Estimated Read Time: 11 Minutes

As we progress through our lives into early adulthood, cannabis becomes a more widely accepted facet of life. In 2023, an astounding 26% of young American adults aged 18-34 reported smoking cannabis. By now, 50% of adults admit to trying it, and 70% of Americans support the legalization of cannabis – the highest number ever.

Whether you’re taking cannabis for medical purposes, dual med-rec use, bonding with friends, or simply unwinding at the end of a long day, adult therapeutic use takes many practical forms. Likewise, cannabis products also take various forms to suit your lifestyle and preferences, including non-impairing hemp products and plenty of non-smoking options.

Cannabis empowers you to live your physically active and busy life in balance with wellness and self-care in mind.

Cannabis Use in Early Adulthood

Medical and recreational cannabis use are both therapeutic in some way. However, depending on the goals and intentions set, people still often tend to identify as one of these consumer types.

To your body, medical and recreational cannabis are one and the same.

As a society, we’ve come a long way towards accepting that the therapeutic uses of cannabis extend beyond purely medically-focused needs or the authorization of a healthcare provider. These matters are still important and will always be in cannabis medicine, but they’re less critical as legal landscapes and public perception co-evolve.

Recreational vs. Medical

In modern early adulthood, people become more open and less concerned about the stigma or perception of simply embracing nonmedical or “recreational” cannabis use. When nonmedical cannabis was legalized in Canada, about 1 in 4 medical cannabis patients moved towards identifying as either dual-users or even exclusively nonmedical. This highlights the absurdity of the divide.

I often see this internal conflict reflected in my clinical encounters. Sometimes, patients feel self-conscious about telling me they like the uplifting and euphoric side effects of their cannabis treatment plan, or that a large part of it is just to relax or help them fall asleep, worried if it’s “enough” to justify their cannabis use (it is).

Sadly, Western medicine makes patients haggle for preferred treatments, so I understand this sentiment. But I love to reassure my adult patients that it’s okay to enjoy your cannabis – you should!

Cannabis providers want you to have healing, positive experiences that come from benefits outweighing harms. Whichever camps you choose to join, we just want to be sure the rest of your health, social, and work life aren’t negatively affected by it.

Recreational Use

Managing life, home, work, family, and social stressors can be tough, especially all at the same time. Even people who use cannabis “non-medically” are actually consuming it for a lot of the same symptoms and therapeutic purposes medical patients employ, such as:

Anxiety
Depression
Mood
Creativity
Relaxation
Impaired sleep
Increase enjoyment of recreational hobbies
Enhance libido and improve sexual experiences
Pain
Headaches

Recreational Cannabis is Harm Reduction

Our consumption choices and how we spend our free time have profound influences on our habits and long-term health. In 2022, nationally representative data indicated for the first time that there are more daily and near-daily cannabis users than alcohol users. Now, 2024 survey results from New Frontier Data show about 70% of adults aged 18-35 prefer cannabis to alcohol, with the youngest group (18-24) also avoiding tobacco the most.

Furthermore, 2023 data reveal that recreational markets are associated with an 11% average reduction in opioid overdose fatalities. Altogether, these data demonstrate the therapeutic, harm-reducing effects of choosing cannabis over other drugs – regardless of medical intentions.

When it comes to addictive potential and mortality, THC and cannabis rank among the least harmful substances compared to recreational drugs like alcohol, tobacco, opioids, and more. While cannabis cannot kill you directly, recreational cannabis laws are associated with a 10% increase in motor vehicle deaths – underscoring the importance of responsible consumption.

However, nonmedical or recreational consumers face state-by-state limitations. Fortunately, medical cannabis cards are more widely available.

Medical Use

Becoming a designated medical card patient or caregiver has its practical advantages for legal access and regulation purposes. There are many tangible and significant benefits to medical cards, such as:

Lower taxes
Higher possession, potency, and quantity limits
Better cannabis growing rights
Legal protections
State reciprocity
Medical cannabis treatment for minors
Access to medical-only dispensaries

The benefits of medical cards can’t be ignored in a country with severely fractured cannabis laws.

Depending on the state you live in, there’s a defined list of “qualifying” conditions set forth by medical authorities. While cannabis isn’t meant as a prize to be won, the most common conditions you may use to apply for a medical card in your state often include:

Chronic pain
Anxiety
Depression
Insomnia
PTSD
Nausea and vomiting
Arthritis
Migraines
Cancer and chemo-related symptoms
Seizures and epilepsy
Multiple sclerosis and spasticity
Glaucoma
HIV/AIDS

Risks of Heavy THC or Cannabis Use

In adulthood, the distinction between recreational and medical cannabis use here becomes less important as we depart the adolescent years. Once the brain fully matures around age 25, the long-term neurodevelopmental risks of THC significantly decrease.

Short-term, however, is a different story until it’s metabolized. THC and similar impairing cannabinoids (e.g. delta 8, etc.) cause temporary impairments in:

Learning
Memory
Spatial orientation
Attention span
Executive functioning

THC side effects are dose-dependent, and may also cause temporary, mild-to-moderate:

Dizziness
Fast heart rate
Sleepiness
Dry mouth
Dry, red eyes

Long-term, 2024 data observing adult medical card patients over 1 year of cannabis use shows no functioning differences in working memory, reward, or inhibitory control.

Neuropsychiatric Effects

Reassuringly, 2023 data show that states with medical or recreational cannabis are not associated with increased rates of psychosis-related health outcomes.

Nevertheless, people with existing severe mental illness or strong genetic psychiatric dispositions to psychotic (i.e. schizophrenia), substance abuse, or manic disorders, should avoid the intensely triggering effects of high-potency THC.

Hemp may still offer them relief through non-intoxicating, antipsychotic, and antianxiety cannabinoids like CBD and CBG.

Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD)

Problematic cannabis dependence, or cannabis use disorder, can happen when certain factors overwhelm you and overrun your work or social life. The likelihood increases as tolerance and dependence build with repeat high-THC exposure. CUD also usually co-occurs with mental illness and other substance use disorders.

Ironically, medical cannabis laws are associated with less CUD treatment-seeking. But if this happens, seek treatment with a knowledgeable, local healthcare professional such as a therapist or your doctor.

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS)

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is rare but may occur with heavy or repeated THC use. Refer to Veriheal’s CHS guide for more information, but keep in mind that uncontrolled vomiting is a medical emergency.

Cannabis Smoking

Cannabis smoking is the most popular means of consumption, but it’s also the least healthy. That’s because smoking cannabis or anything else releases many of the same harmful particulates as tobacco smoke.

Current research shows no conclusive evidence between cannabis smoking and lung cancer, but COPD may occur in the heaviest and longest-term smokers (20 joint-years). More commonly, pulmonary side effects include:

Airway irritation
Chronic bronchitis
Cough
Wheezing
Sputum production
Increased risk of airway infection
Aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients

Thankfully, you don’t need to smoke cannabis to get its benefits. Non-smoking routes like tinctures, edibles, topicals, and more are preferable and readily accessible in legal markets. Vaping concentrate is safer, but can easily overwhelm beginners and quickly increases tolerance due to its much higher potency than flower.

For my patients who still prefer cannabis smoking or find it hard to stop, I don’t shame or judge. I just try to gently steer them towards dry herb vaporizing for a number of health, efficiency, and financial reasons in their best interest.

Cannabis Parenting

If you are a new parent, congratulations! Keep in mind that it’s important to safely store and lock your cannabis away from:

Children
Pets
Unsuspecting guests

Discussing cannabis use with young children may be challenging, but it’s best to be open and honest. Framing cannabis in terms of a helpful medication for adults only is the simplest place to start. As they grow, you should engage in more nuanced discussions when they approach their teenage years.

Bottom Line

The responsibilities and challenges you face in life as an early adult are some of the most intense. With cannabis, there’s a world of flexibility and choice over how to balance yourself, be productive, and safely heal.

References

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Author, Share & Comments

Dr. Abraham Benavides is a worldwide cannabis consultant, alum, and full-tuition merit scholar of the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Abe survived severe COVID-19 infection and lives with new disabilities including LongCOVID, POTS, and PTSD. Abe is passionate about social justice and ending the stigma around mental health and cannabis. He loves being outdoors with his wife and pug, Bruschetta. At Veriheal, Abe contributes medical review, fact-checking, and writing.