New Surgeon General report

In response to what it calls one of the most pressing public health issues in the US, the Office of the Surgeon General yesterday released Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, according to a TMA story.

The report is said to have widened the 52-year war on nicotine addiction to opioids, amphetamines, alcohol, cocaine, heroin and marijuana addiction.

It is said to focus on substance misuse, substance use disorders, and related harms.

On marijuana, the report notes the changing marijuana policies at state level and says that more research is needed on the impact of different models of legalization and how to minimize harm based on what has been learned from legal substances subject to misuse, such as alcohol and tobacco.

The report says that while there is a growing body of research indicating the potential therapeutic value of marijuana cannabinoid in numerous health conditions ‘[…].evidence collected so far in clinical investigations of the marijuana plant was still insufficient to meet FDA standards for a finding of safety and efficacy for any therapeutic indications’.

While there were clinical studies for marijuana as a treatment for PTSD and other ailments, ‘further exploration of these issues…requires consideration of the serious health and safety risks associated with marijuana use, such as respiratory illnesses, dependence, mental health-related problems, and other issues affecting public health such as impaired driving’.

The Surgeon General’s report is available here.