Cannabis users need almost twice as much anesthesia

GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado. (KKCO / KJCT) A local study shows a connection between regular cannabis use and patients' need for anesthesia during surgery.

Patients who use potty may want to inform their doctor before undergoing a procedure requiring anesthesia.

The information comes from a study conducted at the Grand Junction Community Hospital.

The new study shows that people who reported smoking or consuming food every day or every week need twice as much sedation as non-users.

The researchers examined 250 patients requiring endoscopic procedures.

They found that patients who used cannabis regularly needed 14% more fentanyl, a painkiller, and 220% more propofol for sedation.

An anesthesia professor at the University of Pennsylvania sees the study as a good starting point, but believes it requires a full trial.

The authors of the study claim that some of these sedatives present a higher risk of problems when they are taken at higher doses.

They say that it is important to talk to your doctor and be honest about cannabis use.