A doctor continues to sound the alarm about the dangers of marijuana, saying new research is undermining claims by proponents that the drug is safe and legalization is a positive move.
Dr. Raymond Wiggins, an oral surgeon and author of “Undoing the Lies About Marijuana,” told CBN News that in the past two years there have been “countless new studies” that reveal the dangers surrounding marijuana use.
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“There are some large studies coming out, very influential studies,” Wiggins said of new research on the subject. “It includes studies involving millions of people, multicenter studies, and a lot of what are called systematic reviews and meta-analyses.”
He said these scientific studies provide a “really clear picture” of what’s really going on in the culture surrounding cannabis legalization and its impact on humans.
“There’s a lot of great research on mental health, including depression, anxiety, paranoia, personality disorders, and psychosis. There’s also a lot of new research on the devastating effects of marijuana during pregnancy,” Wiggins says. “And some other studies in this area have actually shown that there is a pretty strong correlation between use during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder.”
He added, “And some of the studies we have are on entirely new topics that were previously little known. One study showed that the risk of diabetes was four times greater in marijuana users, and another study showed that the risk of obesity was six times greater in marijuana users.”
Wiggins pushed back on some of the common claims about marijuana, primarily that it is harmless and not deadly.
“There’s already a lot of research showing that marijuana actually kills people,” he says. “They don’t kill people in the same way that opioids do. They don’t usually kill people directly like opioids do, but they kill people with heart attacks and cardiovascular disease, and they kill people with suicides, car accidents, violence, etc.”
And it didn’t stop there, as other recent studies have also shown a link between weeds and mortality.
“If you use marijuana, you’re 2.5 times more likely to die than if you don’t use marijuana,” Wiggins said. “And if you have a cannabis use disorder or dependence, your risk triples.”
He continued, “For example, when it comes to car accidents, there is a lot of new research coming out that confirms that marijuana impairs performance while driving.”
Wiggins said fatal car crashes have increased by 55% among people who use THC, and injuries among these people have increased significantly as well.
Finally, other studies have shown a potential link between marijuana and heart attacks and cardiovascular disease, further raising concerns. Strokes are also common, he says.
The fight against mental health also needs attention, as research has revealed some serious problems in this field.
“Another great study came out showing that people with cannabis use disorders in particular have a 15 times increased risk of psychosis, schizophrenia, excuse me,” Wiggins said. “And the same study found that schizophrenia associated with cannabis use disorder was three times more common in states with liberalized cannabis laws.”
For more on Wiggins’ warnings about cannabis, check out the full interview.
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