{"id":577241,"date":"2026-03-31T22:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T22:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/577241\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T22:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T22:53:12","slug":"wa-doctors-are-sounding-alarm-on-cannabis-health-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/577241\/","title":{"rendered":"WA doctors are sounding alarm on cannabis health effects"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than a decade after recreational cannabis was legalized in Washington, a new survey of health care providers suggests many clinicians are concerned about its effects on patients\u2019 mental health.<\/p>\n

In a survey of nearly 400 Washington state clinicians, more than half said they are highly concerned about the mental\u2011health risks associated with cannabis use. Nearly one in five reported seeing patients with cannabis\u2011related adverse health events as frequently as two to three times per month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first time that we actually in Washington State asked clinicians what they are seeing,\u201d lead author Beatriz Carlini, a research associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the UW School of Medicine, said.<\/p>\n

Researchers reported the findings this week in the Substance Use and Addiction Journal<\/a>. The 20\u2011question survey collected responses from 388 doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals between December 2024 and March 2025. Participants were asked about their clinical experiences treating patients with health problems they attributed to cannabis use.<\/p>\n

4 conditions, training gaps emerge in cannabis survey<\/p>\n

Four conditions emerged most frequently: cannabis hyperemesis syndrome \u2014 severe, repeated vomiting \u2014 reported by 70% of clinicians; cannabis-use disorder, at 65%; anxiety, at 63%; and psychoses or hallucinations, at 53%. More than a third called psychosis the most serious adverse event they encountered.<\/p>\n

The survey revealed significant gaps in training. Nearly 66% of respondents reported little or no knowledge of how cannabis interacts with other medications. More than 42% said they had a limited understanding of cannabis-induced psychosis. And nearly 75% said they want more training on how to screen for cannabis use and manage related health risks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are reporting being concerned. They are reporting being not educated enough to proficiently take care of the situation,\u201d Carlini said. \u201cWe need more specific training for clinicians in our state.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 80% said they would be more likely to intervene if they had established treatment protocols and better referral options.<\/p>\n

\u201cCannabis was treated as a secondary, relatively benign substance for such a long time,\u201d Carlini said. \u201cThere are no facilities, treatments, or resources specific to cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s cannabis far more potent than what voters legalized in 2012<\/p>\n

Carlini noted that today\u2019s cannabis products bear little resemblance to what was on the market when voters legalized the drug in 2012. Washington does not cap THC concentration in flower or concentrates. The average THC level for flower was 21% in 2022, with concentrates averaging 69%, according to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore legalization, it was a way milder substance,\u201d Carlini said. \u201cNow the manufacturing has become extremely concentrated, so this has been causing more problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Washington CannaBusiness Association, a trade group representing licensed operators, said the study does not distinguish between harm from regulated products and harm from the illicit market.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe THC content on regulated products is required on the label, and each product is subject to rigorous testing standards that are nonexistent in the illicit marketplace,\u201d the association said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The group pointed to a 95% compliance rate among licensed retailers for restricting sales to customers 21 and older, and said it supports enforcement against unlicensed sellers rather than prohibition-based approaches.<\/p>\n

Carlini said she is not calling for an end to legalization but is advocating for potency regulation. She co-authored a 2022 report for the state Legislature with policy recommendations on THC limits, but none were adopted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou actually need to make cannabis more similar to the cannabis we had in the past that we originally legalized,\u201d Carlini said.<\/p>\n

Read more of Aaron Granillo\u2019s stories here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow @https:\/\/twitter.com\/aaronkirofm<\/a><\/p>\n

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