EURAD

30/09/2026

New study finds correlation between cannabis use and the risk of both perpetrating and being a victim of violence. Cannabis users are about twice as likely to be perpetrators of violence.

The risk was higher for violence that ended in a conviction (3,75 times the risk) and in psychiatric populations (4,2 times the risk).

The article mentions that the link between cannabis and psychosis could potentially lead to aggression, but the association could also be due to various confounders.

Cannabis use is a known risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes, including psychosis, which is frequently associated with aggression. However, the specific impact of cannabis use on the risk of violence remains unclear. This meta-analysis, conducted according to PRISMA guidelines, synthesized...

18/09/2026

Another study from California finds an increases in adolescent cannabis use disorder (CUD) in the years following the passing of legalization, implementation of recreational cannabis sales and three years on.

Aims To examine whether and how rates of adolescent cannabis use disorder (CUD) in California, USA, changed after recreational cannabis legalization (RCL). Design and setting Population-based time-...

18/09/2026

National surveys in the US have found no increase in adolescent cannabis use following cannabis legalization.

However, a new study that follows 13-17 year olds from California over a 14 year period finds a more nuanced picture.

Cannabis use declined in the years leading up to legalization, followed by an increase after legalization was passed, and continued to increase after recreational cannabis sale was implemented. This suggests that adolescents responded both to changing social norms and to increased availability.

Cannabis use dropped again with the Covid-19 epidemic and continued to decrease until December 24, when the study stopped.

This cross-sectional study examines how rates of adolescent cannabis use in California changed after recreational cannabis legalization and the COVID-19 pandemic.

09/09/2026

"Harm reduction can be both humane and necessary," writes Liese Recke, "but if stablization through harm reduction illustrates the ambition level of the treatment system, we are creating a system that manages lives in addiction, while at the same time the roads out of addiction and the drug scene slowly disappear."

If we treat patients, but leave them in an environment that perpetuates addiction, we do not respect their autonomous wish to reduce their drug use. Some patients need distance from their daily routines and friends in order to achieve this:

Skadereduksjon har vært viktig for rusfeltet. Ingen trenger dø av overdose, infeksjoner, sult eller vold fordi de ikke klarer eller ønsker å slutte å bruke rusmidler. Men også til skadereduksjon knytter det seg utilsiktede konsekvenser, skriver Liese Recke i denne kronikken.

02/09/2026

Unintentional ingestion of recreational drugs among young children (

Background Previous studies of pediatric recreational drug exposures have often been limited in scope. Given the rapidly changing recreational drug supply and the related unintentional ingestion of these drugs by young children, a comprehensive study that includes recent data about these exposures i...

02/09/2026

A new scoping review from researchers at the University of Porto seeks to collect "scientific evidence on the social-environmental factors that influence recovery from substance use disorders":

"A multitude of social-environmental factors were shown to influence recovery such as support networks, socioeconomic conditions (i.e., housing, education, employment), spirituality, drug availability in the substance milieu, stigmatization, and the therapeutic setting. The various support networks play a key role in facilitating recovery pathways, with dysfunctional relationships and substance availability hindering recovery progress. "

The rising demand for substance-related treatments results in a persistent increase in human, social, health, and economic costs that affect not only people but...

01/09/2026

WHO publishes a revised version of their report on The health and social effects of nonmedical cannabis use.

Short term harms include driving impairment, coronary events and acute experiences that can be sufficiently unpleasant that people seek medical help.

Long term harms include addiction and withdrawal symptoms, negative psychosocial outcomes, an association with psychosis and schizophrenia, pulmonary harms, myocardial infarctions and strokes, as well as a possible link to cancer.

Cannabis is globally the most commonly used psychoactive substance under international control. In 2013, an estimated 181.8 million people aged 15-64 years used cannabis for nonmedical purposes globally (uncertainty estimates 128.5–232.1 million) (UNODC, 2015). There is an increasing demand of tre...

26/08/2026

The Washington Post is rethinking the liberal stance on cannabis:

Accumulating evidence is forcing some facile beliefs about the drug to evolve.

26/08/2026

Several studies have pointed to an association between substance use and stroke.

It is disentangle causal effects, but a recent study relying on Mendelian randomisation finds increased stroke risk with use of co***ne, amphetamines and cannabis:

"Our findings provide consistent observational and genetic evidence that several forms of substance misuse increase stroke risk, particularly co***ne, amphetamines, and cannabis. These findings suggest important public health implications for prevention strategies targeting substance use disorders to mitigate stroke risk."

Background: Epidemiological evidence suggests associations between substance use disorders and risk of stroke, but whether these are due to confounding or are t...

25/08/2026

Germany gradually scales back their liberal medical cannabis regulations after partial legalization.

The costs of cannabis flowers is no longer covered by the national health insurance, and access to cannabis extracts has been restricted: