Marijuana use linked to elevated levels of cadmium and lead in blood and urine

Marijuana is the third most commonly used drug in the world behind tobacco and alcohol. As of 2022, 21 states and Washington, DC, covering more than 50 percent>50%

of the U.S. population, have legalized recreational use of marijuana, and medical marijuana is legal in 38 states and Washington, DC. However, because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, regulation of contaminants in all cannabis-containing products remains piecemeal and there has been no guidance from federal regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Because the cannabis plant is a known scavenger of metals, we hypothesized that individuals who use marijuana will have higher metal biomarker levels compared with those who do not use.

Researchers combined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005–2018) for lowercase italic n equals 7,254n=7,254

participants, classified by use: non-marijuana/non-tobacco, exclusive marijuana, exclusive tobacco, and dual marijuana and tobacco use. Five metals were measured in blood and 16 in urine using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; urinary metals were adjusted for urinary creatinine.

Results:

Participants reporting exclusive marijuana use compared with non-marijuana/non-tobacco use had statistically significantly higher mean cadmium levels in blood.

The results suggest marijuana is a source of cadmium and lead exposure. Research regarding cannabis use and cannabis contaminants, particularly metals, should be conducted to address public health concerns related to the growing number of cannabis users.

Reference;

Katlyn E. McGraw,Anne E. Nigra,Joshua Klett,Marisa Sobel,Elizabeth C. Oelsner,Ana Navas-Acien,Xin Hu,and Tiffany R. Sanchez, 2023. Blood and Urinary Metal Levels among Exclusive Marijuana Users in NHANES (2005–2018). Environmental Health Perspectives 131:8 CID: 087019 https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12074

Keywords:

Marijuana, use, linked, elevated, levels, cadmium, lead, blood, urine, Katlyn E. McGraw,Anne E. Nigra,Joshua Klett,Marisa Sobel,Elizabeth C. Oelsner,Ana Navas-Acien,Xin Hu,and Tiffany R. Sanche