With cannabis and hallucinogen use on the rise, the Michigan Society of Anesthesiologists is trying to educate the public on the importance of disclosing the use of the substances to physicians, particularly before going into surgery.

Use of cannabis and hallucinogens remains at an all time high in recent years, according to a University of Michigan study.

The effects of the substances on anesthesia and surgery vary but include increasing or decreasing a person’s sensitivity to sedation, delirium following sedation and lung complications, and effects on heart rate and blood pressure, said Dr. Matt Dellaquila, president-elect of the Michigan Society of Anesthesiologists.

"All of these substances can have a real impact on the delivery of your anesthetic," said Dellaquila, who is also the chief of anesthesia at Henry Ford’s Jackson Hospital. "It's very, very, very important to have that full history before taking a patient into the operating room."

Smoking, whether it’s cigarettes, marijuana or another substance, can affects the lungs and decisions about anesthesia, according to a news release from the MSA.

"Patients may not realize that these naturally derived substances affect anesthesia, so it’s important to educate patients why they must discuss this with their anesthesiologist," said MSA President Dr. Michael Lewis in the release. "For example, smoking marijuana before going under anesthesia could increase a patient’s risk of heart attack during or after the surgery. Our top priority is patient safety, and this is one of many factors we take into consideration as we care for our patients."

While still illegal federally, marijuana was legalized for recreational use in Michigan in 2018 in a statewide ballot measure. Michigan legalized medical marijuana in 2008.

Many hallucinogens, or psychedelics, are classified as Schedule I drugs, although deaths exclusively from overdose of these substances are extremely rare, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Psychedelics have been decriminalized locally in a few places across Michigan, including Washtenaw County and the city of Detroit. Research on their use as therapeutic drugs to treat everything from chronic pain to depression is also growing at places like the University of Michigan Psychedelic Center.

It’s become increasingly common for patients to report using cannabis, particularly following its legalization in Michigan, and more recently, hallucinogens, Dellaquila said.

"There are all sorts of other very accessible ways to get hallucinogens that are much more common than they used to be, same with cannabis," Dellaquila said. "Since it's becoming more common, we think it's important that the patients let us know about it if they're on it."

Julie Barron, president of the Michigan Psychedelic Society, is happy to see physicians addressing psychedelic use. The society is a local group that provides resources and education about the safe use of psychedelics and works toward their decriminalization and legalization.

"We really need to have these conversations," Barron said. "It's really tricky because you can't expect people to disclose illegal activity that can be used against them."

Some people may worry that if they disclose their use of illegal substances to a medical professional, it could be used against them legally or medically, Barron said. Survey studies show that a majority of psychedelic users don’t discuss it with their primary care provider, and common reasons include stigma, inadequate provider knowledge and legal concerns.

Substance use that patients disclose is considered privileged information and protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Dellaquila said. Insurance companies cannot access patients’ medical records, and although it may be possible to find a billing code that corresponds to hallucinogen use, it is highly unlikely, Dellaquila said.

"Practically speaking, in this context, most anesthesiologists don't code substance use or abuse or anything like that," Dellaquila said. "The chance of any disclosure, even on the insurance end, is low."

There may also be a stigma behind disclosing it, Dellaquila said.

"That's some of our role as physicians is to make it, you know, an open communication and nonjudgmental communication, making sure that it's a safe space for people to tell us what exactly they are doing, so that we can care for them best," Dellaquila said.

Dellaquila hopes that acknowledging the use of these substances will help reduce the stigma surrounding disclosure to physicians.

"We want people to talk honestly about what's going on in their medical history," Dellaquila said. "It does fall in our role as physicians to take the time and listen and hear people out, and open the conversation up for them, too."

The Michigan Psychedelic Society hosts practitioner work groups with doctors and therapists to help them navigate psychedelic use with their patients, Barron said.

"We want to talk with licensing boards in Michigan, and we want to talk with the public safety systems, we want to talk with health care systems," Barron said. "We really want to publish some really accurate information so that practitioners feel more comfortable knowing where the line is of what's acceptable and not acceptable."

Decriminalizing psychedelics, or specifically their use for medical treatments, similar to marijuana, would go a long way in reducing the stigma people face when disclosing their use, Barron said.

"Can we actually allow the opportunity for people who might not want to do it on their own, or might not want to do it in a community or spiritual or religious situation, to do it in a therapeutic environment?” Barron said. "I strongly feel like decriminalization has to happen first or at the same time as medicalization or legalization because we don't want to create more regulation and further barriers."

©2025 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.