A recent study has unveiled that individuals who use marijuana exhibit significantly higher concentrations of lead and cadmium in their blood and urine compared to non-users.
Published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the study indicates that marijuana users within the test group displayed a 27% increase in lead levels in their blood and a 21% increase in lead levels in their urine, in contrast to individuals who abstain from marijuana consumption. Furthermore, cannabis users exhibited 22% higher cadmium levels in their blood and an 18% increase in cadmium levels in their urine compared to non-users.
Lead author Tiffany Sanchez, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, explained that both lead and cadmium tend to persist in the body over extended periods. Cadmium is absorbed in the renal system and expelled through the kidneys, rendering urinary cadmium levels indicative of long-term exposure.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emphasizes that no amount of lead in the body can be considered safe and warns that lead exposure remains a serious public health concern, despite declining levels in recent decades. The EPA also deems cadmium exposure harmful, associating it with kidney disease, lung cancer in humans, and fetal abnormalities in animals. Specific limits for cadmium in air, food, and water have been established by the EPA.
The study’s findings suggest that marijuana serves as a source of exposure to both cadmium and lead, prompting calls for further research on cannabis use and its contaminants, especially heavy metals, to address public health concerns in light of the growing number of cannabis users. Cannabis ranks as the third most commonly used drug worldwide, according to the study.
To arrive at these conclusions, the study scrutinized blood and urine tests of 7,254 individuals who reported marijuana use within the past 30 days. This research differed from most studies focused on metal levels in cannabis plants, as it concentrated on individuals who consumed marijuana. The study examined data from the annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey spanning from 2005 to 2018, which monitors the health of the U.S. population.
The study did not differentiate between medical and recreational cannabis use among self-reported users, leaving open the possibility for future research to discern whether different types of usage impact metal levels.
According to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, over 61 million Americans aged 12 and older had used illicit drugs as of 2021, with marijuana being the most commonly consumed. In 2021, 52.5 million people reported cannabis use.
The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics highlights that drug abuse and substance disorders are more prevalent in young males, with individuals aged 18 to 25 having the highest rates of drug use. As of 2021, nearly two in five young adults aged 18 to 25 had used illicit drugs, with one in three using marijuana.
The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics also reports that a significant proportion of American adults have consumed alcohol at least once in their lifetime, with more than 140,000 alcohol-related deaths occurring annually.
Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits survey, released earlier this month, indicated that for the first time, half of Americans have tried marijuana at some point. Current cannabis use is most common among young adults aged 18 to 34, representing 29% of users. Adults aged 35 to 54 account for 17% of current users, while those aged 55 and older make up 9%. The gender difference in marijuana use is not significant, but adults without a college degree are nearly twice as likely to use marijuana compared to college graduates. Additionally, the survey found that 12% of Republicans consume marijuana, while 21% of Democrats and 17% of independents do so.