Study first to show statewide cannabis-related deaths in Florida

In the United States, 49.6 million Americans ages 12 and older used cannabis or marijuana in 2020. More than 5.4 million Americans are medical cannabis patients. In Florida alone, where medical cannabis has been legal since 2014, there has been a 1,107.01 percent increase in the number of people with medical cannabis cards, from about 65,310 cardholders in 2018 to 788,297 as of Jan. 27.

One primary reason for the continued increase in cannabis use is risk perception. Many people believe cannabinoids—plant derived, medicinal, and synthetic or chemically engineered—are safe to use because they are non-psychotropic and non-psychoactive. However, for some people, cannabis can be addictive and potentially cause harm when taken with other substances such as alcohol or other drugs.

Despite its widespread use in the U.S. and globally (more than 200 million worldwide), little is known about deaths that are associated with or…