The impact of widespread use of cannabis in the medical setting has barely been explored in any sense. Recreational use of cannabis was legalized in Colorado in 2012, creating both medical opportunities and concerns. The legality and increasing number of cannabis users has resulted in patients being more cooperative during medical questioning in regards to its use, but it may also have consequences related to medical procedures such as endoscopic sedation. Researchers have recently studied 250 medical records from one endoscopy centre in the US and determined that regular cannabis users required significantly higher doses of sedation for endoscopic procedures in comparison to those who were not regular cannabis users (P = 0.05). The original report, which can be viewed here, concludes that cannabis use should be characterised in patients before procedural sedation to enhance patient care and fully assess medication needs and potential risks associated with increased dosage requirements.

Contributed by Australian Medication Safety Services Associate – Isabella Singh