Light marijuana use may not increase risk of kidney disease

A new research suggests that occasional and relatively light use of marijuana may not increase the risk of kidney disease in healthy adults below the age of 60. According to a new cross-sectional study of adults aged 18-59 in the US, there is no association between current or previous marijuana use and kidney function. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the US, with an increasing trend of use among middle-aged and older individuals. However, potential health effects of marijuana use in the general population have not been extensively studied, and little is known about potential effects on kidney function.

“Our research provides some reassuring evidence suggesting that there is no detrimental effect of infrequent, relatively light use of marijuana on kidney function among healthy adults under age 60,” said lead investigator Murray Mittleman, professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. “However, our research does not address heavy users, the elderly, or those with pre-existing chronic kidney disease. Research is needed to evaluate the impact of marijuana use in adults 60 and over, and among those with existing or at risk of developing kidney disease,” Mittleman said.
For the current work, the researchers analysed a nationally representative sample of nearly 14,000 predominantly healthy adults aged 18-59 years living in the US who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2014. The investigators found no statistically significant association between history of marijuana use and the likelihood of developing stage-2 or greater chronic kidney disease.
Likewise, they did not observe a statistically significant association between the history of marijuana use and the incidence of microalbuminuria, a moderate increase in the level of urine albumin and a marker of kidney disease. Read: Five strange things that can cause kidney stones
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that cannabidiol, or CBD, the main ingredient in medical marijuana, is non-addictive and non-toxic, adding it should not be a scheduled drug. The report by WHO also found that cannabidiol could be useful for treating epilepsy and a number of other health conditions.