Marijuana Legalization and Teen Mental Health: Why Legal Weed Could Worsen the Youth Mental Health Crisis

Why is it important for parents to be informed about marijuana?

Young people who use marijuana are 4 to 7 times more likely than adults to become addicted to marijuana; however, the longer teens and young adults delay use while their brains are developing, the less likely they are to develop a marijuana use disorder or addiction.

What are the risks of my child using marijuana?

Because their brains are still developing, teens and young adults are among the most at risk for the harms of marijuana. Marijuana can affect people differently, but here are some common effects:

• Brain development can be negatively impacted, including decision-making and impulse control

• Anxiety and psychoses (how people view reality) can increase

• Attention, learning and memory can be negatively impacted

• Slower reaction time, can affect driving and increase injury risk

• Can lead to addiction How do I talk to my child about marijuana? When connecting with a child or young person in your life about marijuana, it’s important to remember:

• Not to lecture – listen and understand their perceptions of marijuana

• Be clear about your position

• Let them know that this is a health concern

• Avoid focusing on punishment

For more information visit the Marijuana Resource Center HERE.

Are weed and marijuana the same thing?

It sounds confusing but weed is the same thing as marijuana/marihuana, along with cannabis, pot, hashish, kush, Mary Jane, 420, ganja, dope, green, cheeba, bud, reefer, chronic, puff, sticky icky, and wacky tobaccy (or whacky tabacky).

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Cannabis is an addictive drug that’s particularly harmful to developing adolescent brains. Teens that consume it have poorer life outcomes on a number of measures. They have more mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and psychosis. As a group, they complete less school and are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed than their peers.
~ Dr. Sharon Levy
Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician, Addiction Medicine Specialist, Director of Adolescent Substance Use & Addiction Program at Boston Children’s Hospital

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Cannabis Use And Mental Health Study

Researchers who looked at the health records of 6.9 million people found that marijuana use was associated with much higher rates of mental illness in young men, including a startling 30% of cases of schizophrenia.

“Young males might be particularly susceptible to the effects of cannabis on schizophrenia. At a population level, assuming causality, one-fifth of cases of schizophrenia among young males might be prevented by averting CUD. Results highlight the importance of early detection and treatment of CUD and policy decisions regarding cannabis use and access, particularly for 16–25-year-olds.”

Find out more at:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/association-between-cannabis-use-disorder-and-schizophrenia-stronger-in-young-males-than-in-females/E1F8F0E09C6541CB8529A326C3641A68

Shortage of mental health services for teens forces parents to take desperate measures. Watch now.