Cannabis users need double the amount of sedation required by nonusers when undergoing surgery, a study found.

“With continued increase in legalization and use of cannabis, the field of anesthesia and sedation needs further studies with greater depth," authors of the study said in the article published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

Researchers at Community Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado, examined the medical records of 250 patients who received endoscopic procedures after the U.S. state legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, between 2016 and 2017.

The study found that those who smoked on daily or weekly basis required 14% more fentanyl, 20% more midazolam and 220% more propofol to achieve optimum sedation for routine procedures.