“This is not your dad’s cannabis,” she told Healthline. “The other piece is, depending upon where you get your [cannabis], you will not know how much THC is in it, particularly if you buy it on the street,” she added.
Margaret Haney, PhD, a neurobiology professor in psychiatry at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, told Healthline that there’s a need for more open conversations about the benefits and potential harms of cannabis consumption.
“Anybody in the field knows that cannabis’ potency has been increasing over time. Consumers should be aware of the risks and know what their behavior could lead to,” Haney told Healthline,citing potential memory effects and the risk of developing cannabis use disorder, where cannabis “takes on a larger role in your life than you might have wanted from the beginning.”
“I honestly find that most Americans do not think that cannabis can produce dependence, and so I think that’s the first step, knowing that there’s that potential,” Haney said. “I think getting that message out is really important.”
Freeman, the study author, said consumers need more information to help them monitor their intake of cannabis products.