Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-4-2025

Comments

This article is the author's final published version in Journal of Clinical Medicine, Volume 14, Issue 19, 2025, Article number 7028.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14197028. Copyright © 2025 by the authors.

Abstract

The legalization of cannabis in multiple U.S. states and several other countries, along with its increasing social acceptance across diverse demographic and socioeconomic groups, has led to a growing number of patients presenting for interventional procedures with a history of cannabis use. Although anesthetic and sedation-related implications may be less pronounced than in major surgery, they remain clinically relevant and warrant careful consideration. Key factors include acute intoxication, chronic use, and cannabis use disorder. Cannabis users often require higher-and sometimes unpredictable-doses of propofol and other sedatives. Inhalational use is associated with airway hyperreactivity, increasing the risk of bronchospasm and, in severe cases, life-threatening laryngospasm. Acute intoxication may also impair the patient's ability to provide informed consent. Cardiovascular manifestations, including tachycardia, hypertension, and an elevated risk of myocardial infarction, may occur depending on the timing and extent of recent cannabis exposure. Although these effects are unlikely to cause major complications during routine screening colonoscopy or diagnostic esophagogastroduodenoscopy, advanced therapeutic procedures may pose significant challenges for sedation providers. This narrative review summarizes the chemistry, pharmacology, and sedation-related implications of cannabis use in patients undergoing sedation requiring interventional procedures, with a specific focus on GI endoscopy. © 2025 by the authors.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Additional Files
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PubMed ID

41096108

Language

English

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