USC Researchers see a data trend among women who prefer the use of Cannabis concentrates and edibles.
NEWS After welcoming their newest board member, educator Dr. Sabrina Sanders, the Health and Human Services Board got right to work. "I'm very excited to be here and very excited to learn," said Dr. Sanders.
One of the agenda items before the Board was a presentation by Dr. Carolyn Wong. A health psychologist and assistant professor at USC's Keck School of Medicine, Dr. Wong was meeting with the Board to share her data and findings from an ongoing longitudinal study on cannabis use among young adults.
The study began more than 6 years ago. Initially funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse for its first four years, the National Health Institute is now funding the research.
What makes the data and findings of this study interesting is that it focuses on Cannabis users that can't legally access the drug. To legally purchase cannabis in California one must be at least 21 years of age. participants are between the ages of 18 and 20 but researchers follow them years beyond.
The reason Long Beach's Health Department would be interested in hearing the findings of this study is that much of their recommendations to City Council regarding marijuana and vaping tend to lean on the conservative side and focus on scientific findings that emphasize addictive consequences to youth.
We saw this play out recently when the Health Department made a presentation at City Council earlier this year asserting that stricter vaping laws would protect minors more prone to addiction and other health consequences.
In fact, the first question posed by Board Chair Silene St. Bernard following Dr. Wong's presentation was, "does your research included a question about when [youth] started so we know when to intervene?"
Other board members focused on questions of what they colorfully coined the "phenomena of addiction" or "psychological effects" that lead to violence.
Board member and MD Lydia Vaias complained that in her practice she found that cannabis users required "oodles and oodles more" pain meds when hospitalized.
One Board member even asked how accurate the study was "since the participants are stoned."
Thus, it appeared that the Board was more interested in their own bias about cannabis addiction and labeling rather than approaching the research with an open mind.
At one point Dr. Wong said, "we are not seeing the relationship at all in our study that says the more you use the more addicted you are."
You could hear a pen drop. It was as if Dr. Wong had said something wrong simply by recounting the facts of her study.
"We are research scientist trying to under the landscape and not to say whether cannabis is bad or good," Dr. Wong said to the Health Board.
What does the Science Say
Dr. Wong found that youth who start using cannabis as early as 18 generally show a decline in use as they reach 30. She speculates that the change perhaps relates to developmental changes or even life milestones such as entering the job market or starting families.
When it came to gender Dr. Wong didn't find much difference in cannabis use. Across gender women and men preferred to use cannabis with a bowl, bong, blunt or joint.
There was, however, a gender difference with edible cannabis use. Dr. Wong found that older females tend to vape more and also reported more use of concentrates and edibles over time. Concentrates are made with small sparkling structures coating raw cannabis flower and responsible for cannabis effects, aroma and flavor.
Dr. Wong speculates that recent marketing campaigns displaying cannabis as a health and wellness agent may explain why women use more edibles and concentrates. "We are seeing a little bit of that trend," said Dr. Wong.
Candace Jessi, a 31 year old Long Beach resident explained to TheMemo in an interview that she prefers edible concentrates because of her work. "Odors can get trapped in your clothes or hair. Edibles allow me to be discrete." From keeping a low profile to managing beauty and hygiene, there could be a number of reasons that researchers are seeing this trend among women.
Generally however, vaping and use of concentrates in this USC study have declined over time among participants as they age. A common concern too is that youth who use cannabis are more likely to use more tobacco products. Dr. Wong said "in terms of tobacco use we aren't seeing a big trend in increase inside our sample."
The USC study actually shows a trend toward a decrease in use of tobacco products.
Still the pandemic has played a role in shifting cannabis use as well. Dr. Wong noticed a huge spike in using cannabis with electronic devices.
But there was one area where Dr. Wong expressed a great deal of surprise. You see, there is a sense among health professionals, regulators and policy makers that because of the proliferation of dispensaries and products available after legalization in California, cannabis use would surge and become a present danger.
"Surprisingly even though there is a sense there are a lot more products available, there hasn't been a huge uptick in use," said Dr. Wong.
The Local Impact
The week after Dr. Wong's presentation, Councilman Al Austin authored a City Council agenda item requesting the City manager look into the feasibility of adding 8 new equity-only dispensaries.
Councilman Austin was troubled by the fact that of the over 30 dispensary licenses, none of them had gone to groups that the law was most intended to help.
Austin wasn't alone. Nearly a dozen public comments lamented that while legalization was supposed to help level the playing field for those who had fallen victim to the the war drugs, the City's policy had somehow resulted in most equity applicants being locked out of the most lucrative side of the legalized economy.
Dr. Wong's study is important to a larger discussion surrounding whether more dispensaries will harm underaged youth. While there are valid concerns, they should be examined through a scientific lens rather than an emotional one.
This way, where there is myth or misconception we base sound policy on science first.