Long-term use of cannabis increased the biological age of those studied by 11%, said co-author of the study, Stuart Reece from University of Western Australia School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. The study, which was published in the British Medical Journal Open, compared 11 cannabis-only users, 504 tobacco users, 114 combination tobacco and cannabis smokers and 534 non-smokers over a five-year period. "It is important to the health of populations worldwide that such research be continued, with the study highlighting the large-scale costs to the health system from cannabis use," he said. Health sectors should conduct further studies on cannabis, he said, saying there would be cost implications down the track when the health system was lumbered with heavy cannabis smokers who were sicker than they should be for their age. Clinical trials have shown some evidence of cannabis having health benefits for treating epileptic seizures and reducing chemotherapy related nausea.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 15, 2016 04:48 UTC