'High January’ fuels cannabis boom as experts flag some serious health dangers

The popularity of cannabis continues to emergence successful 2026, with statistic showing that astir 15% of Americans are existent users, and much than 22% person utilized it sometime successful the past year.

As much radical chopped retired intoxicant amid the Dry January trend, dispensaries person reported a surge successful marijuana sales, starring to what immoderate manufacture insiders and media outlets person dubbed "High January."

While the cause has been touted for imaginable aesculapian benefits — including symptom relief, reduced anxiousness and improved slumber — experts person warned astir wellness risks associated with cannabis use.

CANNABIS USE RISES AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN DESPITE SERIOUS FETAL RISKS

"There’s a wide content that marijuana is ‘natural’ and truthful harmless," Corey Gamberg, a intelligence wellness and addiction specializer who serves arsenic enforcement manager of the Rockland Recovery Center and Massachusetts Center for Addiction, told Fox News Digital.

"In reality, today’s products are acold much potent than successful erstwhile decades, and we’re seeing precise existent mental, affectional and carnal consequences successful objective settings each day."

Statistics showing that astir 15% of Americans are existent cannabis users, and much than 22% person utilized it sometime successful the past year. (iStock)

Trent Carter, a board-certified caregiver practitioner, addiction betterment adept and laminitis of Renew Health, an outpatient attraction halfway successful New Mexico, noted that marijuana has go a much commonly accepted substance — but helium has seen immoderate antagonistic effects successful his ain patients.

"As clip went on, I discovered that the immense bulk utilized marijuana to dainty a fig of intelligence and carnal issues, lone to induce a litany of different symptoms arsenic a result," helium shared with Fox News Digital.

Mental wellness impacts

Gamberg cautioned astir marijuana’s effects connected radical with underlying anxiety, slump oregon trauma histories.

MYSTERIOUS MARIJUANA-LINKED VOMITING DISORDER GETS OFFICIAL WHO CODE AS ER CASES JUMP

"Some users initially consciousness calmer, but honestly we often spot accrued anxiety, panic symptoms, affectional blunting, and successful immoderate cases paranoia oregon psychosis," helium told Fox News Digital. "For susceptible people, marijuana tin surely worsen intelligence wellness alternatively than relieve it."

While the cause has been touted for imaginable aesculapian benefits — including symptom relief, reduced anxiousness and improved slumber — experts person warned astir wellness risks associated with cannabis use. (iStock)

This tin beryllium peculiarly risky with today’s cannabis products that incorporate precocious levels of THC, added Gamberg. 

A caller survey from Truveta, a wellness information institution that aggregates de-identified physics wellness records from a ample web of U.S. wellness systems, recovered that exigency section visits for cannabis-induced intelligence wellness disorders roseate astir 50% betwixt 2019 and 2020 and remained elevated done 2023.

DOCTORS SHARE ALCOHOL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MEN VS WOMEN AS GUIDANCE SHIFTS

"While radical with intelligence wellness conditions are much apt to usage cannabis, grounds besides suggests cannabis usage whitethorn beryllium linked to earlier onset of definite psychiatric disorders," Brianna Cartwright, main probe expert for Truveta, noted successful a connection to Fox News Digital.

Brain relation and motivation

Regular marijuana usage affects each areas of encephalon function, including attraction span, representation and motivation, according to Gamberg.

"Clinically, we spot radical picture feeling ‘stuck’ — little emotionally responsive, little driven and little engaged with life," helium said. "This tin interfere with work, relationships and betterment from different intelligence wellness conditions."

CANNABIS GUMMY POISONINGS SURGE AMONG VULNERABLE GROUP, EXPERTS WARN

Gamberg warned that the processing encephalon is particularly delicate to THC. 

"Early and predominant marijuana usage is linked to semipermanent changes successful cognition, affectional regulation, and accrued hazard of terrible substance usage disorders aboriginal successful life," helium told Fox News Digital. "This is 1 of the astir concerning trends we spot successful treatment."

Heart wellness effects

Recent studies person suggested that marijuana users whitethorn look an elevated hazard of bosom onslaught and stroke.

A meta-analysis by French researchers, published successful the diary Heart, reviewed aggregate studies of much than 400 cardinal patients to measure the nexus betwixt cannabis and large adverse cardiovascular events.

Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., is facing a ailment from a non-partisan watchdog radical implicit perchance "illegal" run donations from a marijuana dispensary chain. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

The results noted a important summation successful hazard of large cardiovascular events, including a 29% higher likelihood of bosom attack, 20% higher hazard of changeable and doubly the chances of cardiovascular death.

The information was highest for radical who utilized cannabis astatine slightest erstwhile a week.

Sleep disturbances

While marijuana’s mild sedating and relaxing effects tin sometimes assistance radical who person trouble falling asleep, experts accidental determination are respective important things to see earlier utilizing it arsenic a slumber aid. 

"THC suppresses accelerated oculus question (REM) sleep, disrupting mean slumber architecture and interfering with indispensable processes specified arsenic neural plasticity, representation consolidation and affectional regulation," said Chelsie Rohrscheib, a neuroscientist and slumber specializer astatine Wesper successful New York.

DIABETES RISK QUADRUPLES WITH USE OF POPULAR NATURAL REMEDY, STUDY FINDS

"This leads to chronic REM slumber deprivation and eventual REM rebound erstwhile marijuana usage is discontinued."

Clinical probe has besides linked chronic usage of marijuana with decreased heavy slumber and higher rates of slumber fragmentation, Wesper noted. 

"So, portion utilizing marijuana whitethorn initially amended slumber quality, it should not beryllium utilized agelong term," she concluded.

Clinical probe has linked chronic usage of marijuana with decreased heavy slumber and higher rates of slumber fragmentation. (iStock)

Gamberg agreed that marijuana tin disrupt "healthy slumber architecture."

"Over time, users often acquisition poorer slumber quality, vivid dreams oregon nightmares during withdrawal, and accrued reliance connected marijuana conscionable to autumn asleep," helium said.

Cannabis usage disorder

There is simply a wide misconception that cannabis is not addictive and that it cannot pb to a substance usage disorder, according to Nicole Short, objective scientist and adjunct prof of science astatine the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who focuses connected cannabis usage disorder.

In December 2025, President Trump issued an enforcement bid calling for marijuana to beryllium changed from a Schedule I cause to a Schedule III nether the Controlled Substances Act. (iStock)

"This is untrue — it is imaginable to go physiologically babelike connected cannabis and it is imaginable to make a cannabis usage disorder," she told Fox News Digital. "There is ever a hazard of addiction related to cannabis use, and it is hard to dainty erstwhile it is developed."

Approximately 30% of radical who usage the substance make cannabis usage disorder, a objective information marked by an inability to halt utilizing it contempt important antagonistic effects, according to the CDC. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

Symptoms see cravings, unsuccessful discontinue attempts, tolerance and withdrawal. Stopping tin pb to irritability, insomnia, anxiousness and temper changes, according to Gamberg.

Regulatory moves

In December 2025, President Trump issued an enforcement bid calling for marijuana to beryllium changed from a Schedule I cause to a Schedule III nether the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which would mean it has an accepted aesculapian usage and little imaginable for abuse.

"[Effects] alteration importantly based connected dose, potency, property and signifier of use," 1 adept told Fox News Digital. "Much of the nationalist disorder astir cannabis comes from treating each vulnerability arsenic the same." (iStock)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES

The enforcement bid cited a 2023 FDA reappraisal that recovered technological enactment for the usage of aesculapian marijuana to dainty pain, anorexia and nausea/vomiting.

"The world is that the United States's attraction of cannabis arsenic a Schedule I substance is inconsistent with its aesculapian worth and imaginable for addiction compared to different substances," Riana Durrett, manager of the Cannabis Policy Institute astatine the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Fox News Digital.

"Today’s products are acold much potent than successful erstwhile decades."

"The president's enforcement bid powerfully supports research, which tin assistance with misconceptions astir cannabis, whether that is simply a misguided content that it cures anxiousness oregon enactment for further probe into cannabis arsenic a attraction for pain," she went on. 

"The 1 happening everyone should hold connected is that much probe and evidence-based policymaking is needed successful this area."

Effects whitethorn vary

Dr. Dustin Sulak, an integrative doc and co-founder of Healer, a cannabinoid wellness institution based successful Maine, noted that the effects of cannabis connected the encephalon and assemblage are not the aforesaid for everyone.

"They alteration importantly based connected dose, potency, property and signifier of use," helium told Fox News Digital. "Much of the nationalist disorder astir cannabis comes from treating each vulnerability arsenic the same."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Sulak agreed that precocious doses tin person antagonistic effects connected attention, memory, anxiety, slumber and bosom health, but noted that low-dose, orally administered cannabinoids "used intentionally" successful adults and older adults person shown to person benefits. 

"These see improved prime of life, amended sleep, reduced anxiety, amended symptom control, improved appetite, and successful galore cases, reduced reliance connected higher-risk medications," helium said.

Marijuana tin origin accrued anxiety, panic symptoms, affectional blunting, and successful immoderate cases paranoia oregon psychosis, experts warn. (iStock)

"Any treatment of cannabis' effects connected intelligence health, bosom wellness and slumber should separate betwixt high-potency recreational usage and low-dose, medically guided use. Without that distinction, conclusions tin beryllium misleading."

Carter emphasized that radical merit entree to "objective, forthright information" astir marijuana and its interaction connected well-being.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

"The speech surrounding cannabis cannot beryllium laced with fear-mongering, judgement oregon misinformation, and astatine the aforesaid time, users should beryllium alert that a substance susceptible of altering the encephalon whitethorn travel with a cost, particularly with accordant use," helium added.

Anyone who is experiencing antagonistic wellness effects of cannabis should spot a aesculapian nonrecreational for help.