Asking kids about drugs doesn’t prompt drug use, study finds
It is an oft-repeated fear, particularly among parents: that discussing an undesirable behavior, or even an illegal or dangerous one, may encourage kids to try it. But when it comes to asking pre-teens about alcohol, drug and tobacco use, a University of Washington-led study finds no evidence that children will, as a consequence of being asked about it, use the substance in question.
Council Requests Cannabis Ordinance Modifications
Council members met Monday, Oct. 2 to discuss a number of items but the one item that compelled community members to leave their homes for the night to attend, was the public hearing regarding the repeal of Article IV, Medical Marijuana Dispensary, Cultivation, and Delivery Ban of Chapter 14, Health and Sanitation.
Cannabis Industry Convenes to Prepare Energy Efficiency Standard
The Resource Innovation Institute unveiled plans for its new Cannabis PowerScore tool, which will measure energy performance for cultivation facilities.
Doctor on Cannabis Advisory Board concerned about normalized teenage use
BOSTON – The newly appointed Cannabis Advisory Board is working to implement recreational marijuana regulations by next summer.
Marijuana intoxication is sending more children to the hospital
There’s been a 30 percent increase each year from 2005 to 2011 of reported pediatric marijuana intoxication cases to poison control centers in the United States in states where marijuana is legal, CNN reported.
Marijuana products sending more French kids to ERs
(Reuters Health) – Increased availability of potent marijuana products in France may be driving an increase in emergency room visits by intoxicated toddlers, a new study suggests.
Pre-emptive packaging North State legislator seeks to safeguard youths from ingesting cannabis
These are no ordinary gummies—they’re cannabis edibles, stashed for safekeeping but unwittingly discovered. The boy winds up anxious, nauseated and hospitalized.
Innocent Bystanders: Increasing Trends in Unintentional Cannabis Intoxication in Toddler
Increasingly, states around the country are considering legalizing marijuana for medical use and even recreational use. While advocates for such legislative change argue that legalization is not designed to promote teen use, consideration is not given to how increased prevalence of marijuana use might lead to increased unintentional intoxications in young children.
Cannabis legislation will better protect children
It may shock many Canadians to learn that 28 per cent of Canadian youths use marijuana — the highest rate among developed countries surveyed in a 2013 UNICEF report.
The struggle to keep teens off weed
The Oregon Health Authority’s new ad campaign to convince teens to prevent or delay marijuana use, Stay True to You, takes a decidedly softer approach than the “just say no” messages of previous anti-drug campaigns.
The strange thing that happens when marijuana is legalized
(NEWS.COM AUSTRALIA, AUG 2017) Why the sudden influx of weed advocates?
Is it risky? Marijuana and you
(SALEM NEW, SEPT 2017) We hope you will consider the information that we’re sharing today…
Marijuana tied to hypertension risk
(THE NEW YORK TIMES, AUG 2017) Marijuana use may be a cause of high blood pressure, a new study reports.
Traffic fatalities linked to pot are up sharply in Colorado
(ASSOCIATED PRESS, AUG 2017) Federal and state data show that the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes in Colorado who tested positive for marijuana has more than doubled since 2013.
Sessions raises “serious questions” about Colorado’s marijuana management in letter to gov
(THE CANNABIST, AUG 2017) “Please advise as to how Colorado plans to address the serious findings,” writes Sessions.
Marijuana use may up psychosis risk in teens: study
(OUTLOOK, JULY 2017) Daily consumption of marijuana may increase an adolescent’s risk of having recurrent psychotic- like experiences by 159 per cent, a study warns.
Vermont’s DIU approach on marijuana
(NEW YORK TIMES, MAY 2017) Vermont lawmakers passed a bill this month that would let people 21 and older keep two flowering and four young marijuana plants at home. In addition, people 21 and older could possess up to one ounce of the drug.
Times Square maniac told cops he was high on pot, PCP during rampage
(NEW YORK POST, MAY 2017) The murderous maniac who plowed his car through the heart of Times Square told cops he was hopped up on pot and PCP at the time, officials said Friday …
What Canada’s doctors are concerned about with marijuana legalization
(THE GLOBE AND MAIL, APRIL 2017) The Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Psychiatric Association, the Canadian Paediatric Society and other organizations representing front-line health-care providers have been busy broadcasting their concerns about the ill effects of cannabis, especially for chronic smokers under the age of 25.
Legalizing pot may confuse teens into thinking it’s safe
(SCIENCE NEWS FOR STUDENTS, MAY 2017) States that allow adults to use marijuana may send a risky message to teens, new data indicate
How to talk to your teen about marijuana
(YAHOO!, APRIL 2017) For parents, talking to teens can feel like tiptoeing through a minefield. And while part of it is because adolescents can be so volatile, it’s also because teens can be easily influenced, and it’s hard to know which way parental input will push them.
Pediatricians say “no” to legalizing recreational marijuana
(DELEWARE VOICE, APRIL 2017) Dr. Siobhan L. Irwin and Dr. Robert S. Walter are pediatricians in Wilmington…
Teen pot smokers run high risk of schizophrenia, Israeli researchers find
(THE JERUSALEM POST, APRIL 2017) Greatest risk found when cannabis used by genetically-predisposed adolescents.
Melissa Etheridge smokes pot with her “grown” kids—but experts say it could be harmful
(Self.com, APRIL 2017) Experts say the habit is bad for developing brains.
Colorado educators use research to inform teens about marijuana
(TheFix.com, APRIL 2017) A pair of educators took matters into their own hands and developed a new system for sharing info about MJ use with teens.
Marijuana and teens: risky business
(Marinij.com, APRIL 2017) In 2016 approximately 35 percent of high school seniors and 10 percent of eighth-grade students reported marijuana use in the past year with 1 in 16 seniors — or 6 percent — reporting daily marijuana use.
Speaker: Talk to your kids about pot
(RECORDER, APRIL 2017) TURNERS FALLS — A joint in 2017 is equal to 15 joints from the 1970s, speaker Jennifer Michaels told local parents during a two-hour presentation about teen marijuana use.
Early marijuana use can trigger Schizophrenia in Teens With Family History
(MEDICAL DAILY, APRIL 2017) According to the research, smoking pot during adolescence may serve as a catalyst for schizophrenia, but only in individuals already predisposed to the condition.
As legal weed looms, barriers to research still standing
(TORONTO STAR, APRIL 2017) The scientists who study marijuana’s potential risks and therapeutic benefits have been frustrated by the barriers they must leap to do work that’s needed now more than ever.
Marijuana has proven to be a gateway drug
(THE NEW YORK TIMES, MARCH 2017) It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of heroin users have used marijuana (and many other drugs) not only long before they used heroin but while they are using heroin.
Teen Brain on Pot: New Study Examines First Exposures
(Live Science, MARCH 2017) The chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana is known to trigger responses in brain regions related to thinking, perception, coordination and memory, and to have a lasting impact on users when taken frequently over time.
Is marijuana a gateway drug?
(THE DOCTORS) Paul Auchterlonie is an addiction expert. Paul, what are your thoughts on marijuana and whether it could be a gateway drug?
The Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: Evidence for the risks and consequences of adolescent cannabis exposure
The majority of the clinical and pre-clinical data point to a strong correlation between adolescent cannabinoid exposure and persistent, adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes in adulthood.
A brave new weed – Wall Steet Journal
(THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2016) The costs so far from marijuana legalization are higher than advertised.
Marijuana “edibles” make candy complicated
The National Institute on Drug Abuse Blog Team. Marijuana “Edibles” Make Candy Complicated R
Marijuana tied to persistent subclinical psychotic symptoms in teens
(MEDSCAPE, AUGUST 2016) Adolescent boys who regularly use marijuana are at increased risk of experiencing persistent, subclinical psychotic symptoms, particularly paranoia and hallucinations, even after they stop using the drug, a new study suggests.
Marijuana and the developing brain
(American Psychological Association, November 2015) More states are legalizing marijuana, but concerns remain about its long-term effects on the adolescent brain. Acceptance of marijuana is growing (ahem) like a weed.Those laws are not without controversy. Among the critics’ concerns is the worry that, despite age limits, legalization might make marijuana more accessible to young people. And adolescents’ developing brains may be particularly vulnerable to lasting damage from the drug.
This is your brain on drugs
(NEW YORK TIMES, OCTOBER 2014) The gray matter of the nucleus accumbens, the walnut-shaped pleasure center of the brain, was glowing like a flame, showing a notable increase in density.
Study finds sharp increase in marijuana exposure among Colorado children
(NEW YORK TIMES, JULY 2016) To a child on the prowl for sweets, that brownie, cookie or bear-shaped candy left on the kitchen counter is just asking to be gobbled up. But in states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use, notably Colorado, that child may end up with more than a sugar high.
The hidden danger of marijuana edibles
(FORBES, JULY 2015) The death of 19 year old Levy Thamba Pongi, a Wyoming exchange student from the Republic of Congo visiting Colorado in March of 2014, who ate a marijuana cookie, deserves special mention in light of the growing trend toward legalization of recreational marijuana in the U.S.
Marijuana and teens
(American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, July 2013). Many teenagers experiment with marijuana. Friends, peer pressure, and portrayal of marijuana in the media often affect a teenager’s decision to use. Parents
Principal: Cannabis use top reason for suspensions
(ASPEN DAILY NEWS, MAY 2016) Talk of neurons, cell death and synaptic terminals filled the District Theater at Aspen High School on Thursday evening, as did discussion of shatter oil and other potent forms of marijuana during a presentation on how pot may impact the teenage brain.
Teenagers who smoke cannabis damage their brains for LIFE and may be more likely to develop schizophrenia
(DAILY MAIL, JULY 2013) U.S. study found that mice exposed to even small doses of marijuana for 20 days suffered lasting brain damage into adulthood