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Ross JM, Ellingson JM, Frieser MJ, et al. The effects of cannabis use on physical health: A co-twin control study. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2021;230:109200doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109200.
Ross, J. M., Ellingson, J. M., Frieser, M. J., Corley, R. C., Hopfer, C. J., Stallings, M. C., Wadsworth, S. J., Reynolds, C. A., & Hewitt, J. K. (2022). The effects of cannabis use on physical health: A co-twin control study. Drug and alcohol dependence, 230109200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109200
Ross, J Megan, et al. "The effects of cannabis use on physical health: A co-twin control study." Drug and alcohol dependence vol. 230 (2022): 109200. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109200
Ross JM, Ellingson JM, Frieser MJ, Corley RC, Hopfer CJ, Stallings MC, Wadsworth SJ, Reynolds CA, Hewitt JK. The effects of cannabis use on physical health: A co-twin control study. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2022 Jan 01;230:109200. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109200. Epub 2021 Nov 27. PMID: 34871975; PMCID: PMC8714702.
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Drug Alcohol Depend. 2022 Jan 01;230:109200. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109200. Epub 2021 Nov 27.

The effects of cannabis use on physical health: A co-twin control study.

Drug and alcohol dependence

J Megan Ross, Jarrod M Ellingson, Maia J Frieser, Robin C Corley, Christian J Hopfer, Michael C Stallings, Sally J Wadsworth, Chandra A Reynolds, John K Hewitt

Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, United States. Electronic address: [email protected].
  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, United States; Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, United States.
  3. Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, United States; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, United States.
  4. Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, United States.
  5. Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, United States.

PMID: 34871975 PMCID: PMC8714702 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109200

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Research on the influence of cannabis use on anthropometrics, cardiovascular and pulmonary function, and other indicators of physical health has reported mixed results. We examined whether cannabis frequency is associated with physical health outcomes phenotypically and after controlling for shared genetic and environmental factors via a longitudinal co-twin control design.

METHODS: We tested the phenotypic associations of adolescent, young adult, and adult cannabis frequency with adult physical health. Next, we ran multilevel models to test if significant phenotypic associations remained at the between-family and within-twin pair levels. Participants include 677 individual twins (308 twin pairs) aged 25-35.

RESULTS: At the phenotypic level, adolescent cannabis use was associated with less adult exercise engagement (b = - 0.846 min, p = .000). Adult cannabis use was associated with a lower resting heart rate (HR; b = - 0.170 bpm, p = .001) and more frequent appetite loss (b = 0.018, p = .000). Only between-family effects were significant for adolescent cannabis use and exercise engagement (b = - 1.147 min, p = .000) and adult cannabis use and appetite loss frequency (b = 0.041, p = .002). The total within-twin (b = - 0.184, p = .014), MZ only (b = - 0.304, p = .003), and between-family effects (b = - 0.164, p = .025) were significant between adult cannabis use and a lower resting HR, which persisted after controlling for familial confounds and other substance use.

CONCLUSIONS: The associations between cannabis use with exercise engagement and frequency of appetite loss are explained by familial confounding while the association between cannabis use and resting HR was not. These results do not support a causal association between cannabis use once a week and poorer physical health effects among adults aged 25-35.

Published by Elsevier B.V.

Keywords: Body mass index; Cannabis; Co-twin control; Physical health

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