youth

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Title
Johnnys Ambassadors- Mental Illness and Marijuana
01/14/2022

Articles on link between mental illness and marijuana


Johnnys Ambassadors, mental health, cannabis-induced psychosis, Psychosis, youth
Adolescent cannabis use and later development of schizophrenia: An updated systematic review of longitudinal studies
01/01/2022

Both high- and low-frequency marijuana usage were associated with a significantly increased risk of schizophrenia. The frequency of use among high- and low-frequency users is similar in both, demonstrating statistically significant increased risk in developing schizophrenia.


mental health, Schizophrenia, youth
Cannabis use may be associated with suicidality in young adults
06/01/2021

An analysis of survey data from more than 280,000 young adults ages 18-35 showed that cannabis (marijuana) use was associated with increased risks of thoughts of suicide (suicidal ideation), suicide plan, and suicide attempt. These associations remained regardless of whether someone was also experiencing depression, and the risks were greater for women than for men.
“Suicide is a leading cause of death among young adults in the United States, and the findings of this study offer important information that may help us reduce this risk,”


youth, suicide, NIH, study, Research
Active cannabis marketing and adolescent past-year cannabis use
10/09/2019

A new study finds that approximately one in three adolescents were exposed to marijuana promotions on social media or had a favorite marijuana brand.
 
Those who did had five times higher odds of past-year marijuana use.
 
Researchers recommend future studies might want to find ways to restrict marijuana marketing to young people.


Media, youth
2019 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey
10/09/2019
Florida, youth, Survey
Moving beyond perceived riskiness: Marijuana-related beliefs and marijuana use in adolescents.
08/01/2019

Conclusions: Marijuana use varied in association with beliefs about its beneficial and harmful health properties. Clinical interventions that target specific marijuana-related health beliefs including unfounded claims of benefit may provide robust talking points for centering provider guidance and public health messaging.


youth, perception
Doctor: Marijuana, e-cigarettes harmful to teen brains
09/16/2018

Marijuana concentrates such as shatter, butter or glass have THC concentrations as high as 90 percent. The same high levels are found in edible cannabis products sold in Colorado, packaged to look like popular candy bars and particularly appealing to children.
And despite the perception that marijuana is not addictive the way opiates or nicotine are, Potee said that 17 percent of those who start using it as adolescents develop addiction. For teens who use marijuana every day, the addiction rate is 30 to 50 percent.


Potee, youth, cigarettes
Cannabis use and driving-related performance
07/01/2018

We found that among young recreational cannabis users, a regular dose of cannabis had no effect on simple and learned tasks, but its use led to significant impairments on complex and novel driving-related tasks, as well as perceived driving ability and safety, for up to 5 hours after use. The present finding that the first 5 hours after cannabis use affected driving-related performance substantiates the recommendations of Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines, which recommend waiting 6 hours after cannabis use before driving.30
 


Canada, Research, study, driving, youth
Impact of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado on Adolescent Emergency and Urgent Care Visits.
04/08/2018

From 2005 to 2015, 4,202 marijuana-related visits were identified. Behavioral health evaluation was obtained for 2,813 (67%); a psychiatric diagnosis was made for the majority (71%) of these visits. Coingestants were common; the most common was ethanol (12%). Marijuana-related visits increased from 1.8 per 1,000 visits in 2009 to 4.9 in 2015. (p = < .0001) CONCLUSIONS: Despite national survey data suggesting no appreciable difference in adolescent marijuana use, our data demonstrate a significant increase in adolescent marijuana-associated emergency department and urgent cares visits in Colorado.

   


Colorado, youth, emergency room
Verbal Memory Performance and Reduced Cortical Thickness of Brain Regions Along the Uncinate Fasciculus in Young Adult Cannabis Users
04/08/2018

Conclusion: This study provides evidence that cannabis use, especially when initiated at a young age, may be associated with worse verbal memory and altered neural development along the UF. Reductions in cortical thickness in regions implicated in memory processes may underlie weaknesses in verbal memory performance.


youth, memory
UConn Study: Teenage Pot, Alcohol Use Can Reduce Success Later In Life
11/08/2017

This study found that chronic marijuana use in adolescence was negatively associated with achieving important developmental milestones in young adulthood.


youth, chronic
Legalized Marijuana Boosts High School Dropout Rates
10/30/2016

"More than anything, what we have done is provided good, solid evidence that there is a direct link between marijuana policies and education," lead author Andrew Plunk, PhD, from Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk,


dropout, college, youth, young adults
What Educators Should Know About Marijuana
09/12/2016

KNOW YOUR A,B,C,D’s   …  Absent, Behavior, Course Grade = Drugs
 


Infographics, educators, Brain, youth, charts
Marijuana use in adolescence may increase risk for psychotic symptoms
06/17/2016

Analysis indicated that for each year adolescent boys engaged in regular marijuana use, their projected level of subsequent subclinical psychotic symptoms increased by 21% and projected risk for subclinical paranoia or hallucinations increased by 133% and 92%, respectively.


youth, adolescent, Psychosis
Edibles And Concentrates Are Red-Hot, According To Latest Numbers
06/14/2016

"The rapid growth in concentrates and edibles is the continuation of a two-year trend, as consumers increasingly prefer alternative consumption methods to smoking," BDS Analytics CEO Roy Bingham told Civilized in an e-mail. 
Also, increased are hospitalization, ER visits and vehicle fatal accidents. 


edibles, Colorado, youth
State Estimates of Adolescent Marijuana Use and Perceptions of Risk of Harm From Marijuana Use: 2013 and 2014
05/21/2016
SAMHSA, youth
Death of Muslim teen was an accident, not a hate crime, police investigation finds
05/10/2016

Warsame told his schoolmate he had never smoked marijuana and would like to try it, and the two smoked together, according to the report.

A toxicology screen by the medical examiner found “relatively high levels”  of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent in marijuana, in Warsame’s system.


youth, Death, Washington
STATE ESTIMATES OF ADOLESCENT PAST MONTH MARIJUANA USE
04/22/2016


With youth usage and perception of harm having significantly  increased the past 4 it would be better to compare data to 10 years ago not last year.


youth, SAMHSA
Marijuana Use: Detrimental to Youth
04/01/2016

In summary, marijuana use is harmful to children and adolescents.  For this reason, the American College of Pediatricians opposes its legalization for recreational use and urges extreme caution in legalizing it for medicinal use.  Likewise, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) recently offered their own policy statement opposing efforts to legalize marijuana. They similarly pointed out that “marijuana’s deleterious effects on adolescent brain development, cognition, and social functioning may have immediate and long-term implications, including increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, sexual victimization, academic failure, lasting decline in intelligence measures, psychopathology, addiction, and psychosocial and occupational impairment.” Thus the AACAP (a) opposes efforts to legalize marijuana, (b) supports initiatives to increase awareness of marijuana’s harmful effects on adolescents, (c) supports improved access to evidence-based treatment, rather than emphasis on criminal charges, for adolescents with cannabis use disorder, and (d) supports careful monitoring of the effects of marijuana-related policy changes on child and adolescent mental health.49 The College agrees with this position on marijuana.


American Academy of Pediatrics, youth, Research, Side-Effects
Study Links Marijuana Use to Greater Risk for Developing Addiction to Other Drugs
02/20/2016

A new study suggests marijuana smokers may be significantly more likely to develop an addiction to other drugs and alcohol than people who don’t use marijuana.
The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, included almost 35,000 adults who were interviewed three years apart. At the time of the first interview, almost 1,300 used marijuana. After three years, two-thirds of people who used marijuana had some form of substance use disorder, compared with less than 20 percent of people who did not use marijuana in the previous year.


addiction, youth, Studies
The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact Latest Results for Colorado Youth and Adult Marijuana Use
01/01/2016

January 2016 Update:
YOUTH USAGE: 
• In the two year average (2013/2014) since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, youth past month marijuana use increased 20 percent compared to the two year average prior to legalization (2011/2012). o Nationally youth past month marijuana use declined 4 percent during the same time.
• The latest 2013/2014 results show Colorado youth ranked #1 in the nation for past month marijuana use, up from #4 in 2011/2012.
COLLEGE USAGE:
•Colorado college age past month marijuana use for 2013/2014 was 62 percent higher than the national average
ADULT USAGE:
•The latest 2013/2014 results show Colorado adults ranked #1 in the nation for past month marijuana use, up from #7 in 2011/2012.
• Colorado adult past month marijuana use for 2013/2014 was 104 percent higher than the national average compared to 51 percent higher in 2011/2012.


Colorado, impact, youth
Is legal 'medical' marijuana linked to high youth substance abuse rates?
10/14/2015

Is legal 'medical' marijuana linked to high youth substance abuse rates?

Let's look at Colorado's substance abuse rates in 2011- 2012 when medical marijuana was legal but recreational pot was not, Colorado youth ages 12- 17 and 18- 25 ranked in the top percentiles for most substance abuse rates: illicit drugs, marijuana, cocaine, non-medical use of painkillers and ranked the lowest for perception of great risk of smoking marijuana.


youth, Medical
Can we please stop pretending marijuana is harmless?
10/09/2015

Levy says. “We are simply not prepared for the fallout of marijuana legalization.”
Each hit of THC rewires the function of this critical cognitive system: Early evidence in mice has shown that repeated exposure to THC causes these receptors to disappear altogether, blunting the natural response to positive behaviors and requiring higher doses to achieve the same effect. Marijuana exploits essential pathways we’ve evolved to retrieve a memory, to delicately regulate our metabolism, and to derive happiness from everyday life.


Myth, news article, THC, youth, Harmless
E-Cigarettes: A Review of New Trends in Cannabis Use
10/08/2015

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic investigations are also required. Finally, the health consequences of passive vaping should be also considered.  
In conclusion, the new social phenomenon of vaping may slide from nicotine towards other psychoactive drugs (e.g., THC); it therefore deserves the urgent scientific investigation and strict risk assessments which are especially important when young people are concerned. In particular, the presence of toxic substances in the cannabis aerosols generated by e-cigs—from multiple models, brands, BHO and e-liquid manufacturers—need to be investigated.
A synthesis of the practical recipes and experiments reported on the Internet (in addition to our own experiments) shows that the simple, direct use of purified cannabis extracts in e-cigs is not easy because cannabinoids are poorly soluble in e-liquids. Indeed, used pure or in mixture with glycerol, the propylene glycol (PG, or propane-1,2-diol) that is commonly used in e-liquids has both hygroscopic and hydrophilic properties. Consequently, it is not miscible with mineral and vegetable oils and fats. In contrast, cannabinoid concentrates are very lipid soluble, but water insoluble. Furthermore, PG, glycerol, terpenoids, plant fats and waxes, cannabinoid concentrates and THC are very viscous substances. Accordingly, the manufacture of a homogeneous solution using these viscous liquids is a tedious task. Cannabinoid concentrates resemble more a thick, sticky, gummy resin than a liquid. We can infer from these facts that they do not mix readily with glycols, and even less so with glycerol. The addition of terpenoids (e.g., limonene) or lecithin has been advocated to help make cannabis oils miscible...


cannabis, Vaping, electronic cigarette, adolescence, youth, e-cig
Under the Influence of Parents
09/21/2015

Survey highlights:

  • Parents still have a big influence over their children when it comes to using marijuana.
  • More than 60 percent of marijuana users don't think it's addictive or damaging to the brain.
  • One in 10 surveyed report being high at school and while driving, on a daily basis.

parenting, youth
Public Policy Statement on Marijuana, Cannabinoids and Legalization
09/21/2015

Given these statistics.... is legalization worth the consequences....
Cannabis has been found to be the most frequently used drug in the U.S. after alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. 
The risk of developing addiction associated with cannabis use has been reported to increase to about 17% among those who start using marijuana in adolescence, and to 25-50% among those who smoke marijuana daily.
The long-term effects of marijuana use include altered brain development and cognitive impairment, including impaired neural connectivity in specific brain regions, decreased activity in prefrontal regions, and reduced volumes in the hippocampus.
Cannabis is most commonly consumed through smoking, a route of drug delivery that predictably has a variety of negative effects on pulmonary function. Smoke from marijuana combustion has been shown to contain a number of carcinogens and cocarcinogens, as well as many of the toxins, irritants, and carcinogens as tobacco smoke.  Additionally, marijuana smokers tend to inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than cigarette smokers, which leads to a greater exposure per breath to “tar” (the carcinogenic solids in smoke). Regular smoking of marijuana, in the absence of tobacco, produces visible and microscopic injury to the large airways
http://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/publicy-policy-statements/mariju...


Research, legalization, asam, Long-term, Pregnancy, adolescent, youth, cigarettes
Opinion: Marijuana's Adverse Impact on Youth
09/18/2015

The commonly heard expression that “no one ever died from a marijuana overdose” minimizes the cost of unmet potential and inability to fully engage in the challenges of daily life. Scientific research cites multiple impacts of the recreational misuse of marijuana.


youth, opinion, college
HHS finds marijuana use up 12%, perception of harm down
09/12/2015

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services found that marijuana use among all Americans 12 and over – especially those over 26 – significantly increased in 2014 compared to 2013. The number of 16 and 17 year-olds using marijuana in the past month also increased, (14.2% versus 15.0%).


youth, perception, usage
High School Students’ Use of Electronic Cigarettes to Vaporize Cannabis
09/09/2015

Rates of vaporizing cannabis using e-cigarettes were high. These findings raise concerns about the lack of e-cigarette regulations and the potential use of e-cigarettes for purposes other than vaping nicotine.


Vaping, youth
Teens find a new use for e-cigarettes: Vaping marijuana
09/09/2015

About 27% of high school students who have used both marijuana and e-cigarettes reported using the devices to vaporize cannabis. Those most likely to vaporize pot with e-cigarettes included males and younger students.


Vaping, youth
2015 9 The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact
09/01/2015
According to the Colorado Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2014:
 
• 13.6 percent of adults (18+ years old) are current users of marijuana
• Approximately 1 out of 3 current users report using marijuana daily
• A little less than 1 in 5 (18.8 percent) report driving after using marijuana
• Highest current use demographics: 
o Younger adults (18 to 24 years old)
o Less than high school education
o Lower household income
o Black
o Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual adults
o Men 

Colorado, Behavior, Survey, youth
Marijuana Use: Detrimental to Youth
09/01/2015

In summary, marijuana use is harmful to children and adolescents.  For this reason, the American College of Pediatricians opposes its legalization for recreational use and urges extreme caution in legalizing it for medicinal use.  Likewise, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) recently offered their own policy statement opposing efforts to legalize marijuana. They similarly pointed out that “marijuana’s deleterious effects on adolescent brain development, cognition, and social functioning may have immediate and long-term implications, including increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, sexual victimization, academic failure, lasting decline in intelligence measures, psychopathology, addiction, and psychosocial and occupational impairment.” 


youth, pedestrians, legalization, ACP, Resource Paper
Where There’s Smoke …
08/22/2015

Marijuana use by kids between the ages of 12 and 17 is 58 percent higher in Colorado than the national average, according to the RHMIDTA. The rate of use among college-age adults is 54 percent above the national average. Drug-related suspensions from Colorado schools jumped 34 percent from the 2005-2009 period to the 2010-2014 period, while alcohol-related suspensions stayed flat.
 "Everything they said would happen has not," says Gorman. "They said alcohol use would go down. Alcohol use went up. They said it would eliminate the (marijuana) black market. We are the black market. The trends show that legalization is not working."
 


youth, Colorado, college, Potency, legalization, alcohol
Pot death: Teen leaps 4 stories after eating marijuana cookie
07/26/2015

Over the next few hours, the man showed erratic speech and hostile behaviors, the report said. About 2.5 hours after he ate the whole cookie, he jumped off a balcony on the fourth floor of his building, and died from trauma from the fall, the report said.


youth, edibles, Death
Medical marijuana laws and adolescent marijuana use in the USA from 1991 to 2014: results from annual, repeated cross-sectional surveys
07/11/2015

Our findings, consistent with previous evidence, suggest that passage of state medical marijuana laws does not increase adolescent use of marijuana. However, overall, adolescent use is higher in states that ever passed such a law than in other states. State-level risk factors other than medical marijuana laws could contribute to both marijuana use and the passage of medical marijuana laws, and such factors warrant investigation.


Lancet, usage, youth, journal, Studies
Adolescents Who View Medical Marijuana Advertising Are More Likely to Use the Drug
07/06/2015

Seeing advertisements for medical marijuana was related to middle school adolescents' intentions to use marijuana and their actual marijuana use one year later. Researchers say this is particularly important given that the mean age of adolescents surveyed was 13 and initiation of marijuana use during early adolescence is associated with poor school performance, neuropsychological performance deficits and further use of other illicit drugs, such as heroin and cocaine.


youth, advertising, usage
Gateway to Curiosity: Medical Marijuana Ads and Intention and Use During Middle School
06/15/2015

Finally, from a public health standpoint, it is crucial that we begin to address regulatory standards for this industry given that it is in the early stages; we have a unique opportunity to shape the industry practices as legislation continues to evolve. This could help decrease potentially numerous problems similar to those that have occurred with both alcohol and tobacco advertising.


youth, advertising
Connecting The Dots On Rising Gang Violence In Denver
06/05/2015

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, in their 2013 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary, noted,“Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCO) and criminal groups will increasingly exploit the opportunities for marijuana cultivation and trafficking created in states that allow ‘medical marijuana’ grows and have legalized marijuana sales and possession.“ Meaning that marijuana legalization may well increase criminal gang activity.


crime, youth, violence, gang
Saying "No" to Legal Marijuana?
06/04/2015

Bertha Madras speak on the evidence that pot is not a medicine.  


video, madras, youth, Business, evidence
Smoking marijuana may cause early puberty and stunts growth in boys
05/20/2015

Boys who smoke marijuana go through puberty earlier but grow more slowly than those who have never smoked the drug according to a study presented today at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Dublin, Ireland. The findings will lead to a better understanding of the dangers of drug abuse on growth and development of children.


youth, Studies, Research, puberty
Don't Legalize Marijuana
05/11/2015

The raw cannabis plant has no medicinal value. For the same reasons people no longer chew bark to cure headaches but instead buy aspirin, there is no medical reason to smoke pot. The pharmaceutical profession exists to isolate active medical ingredients from herbs and plants (or synthesize them) and to provide safe, standardized doses with minimal side effects. This is how every other drug works. There is no scientific or medical reason to make marijuana an exception.


pot, normlize, Colorado-0, youth, Medical, science, Taxes
Marijuana users may have ‘false memories’
04/22/2015

Participants in a study who had used the drug daily for around three years in their teens had an abnormally shaped hippocampus by the time they were in their early 20s.
They also performed around 18 per cent worse in long-term memory tests than individuals who had never touched the drug.


Brain, Biomedical, youth, memory, Studies, Research
Is marijuana a gateway drug?
04/02/2015
youth
Teen cannabis users have poor long-term memory in adulthood
03/12/2015

The study is among the first to say the hippocampus is shaped differently in heavy marijuana smokers and the different looking shape is directly related to poor long-term memory performance.
The study also found that young adults with schizophrenia who abused cannabis as teens performed about 26 percent more poorly on memory tests than young adults with schizophrenia who never abused cannabis.


youth, memory, Schizophrenia
The Impact of Marijuana Policies on Youth: Clinical, Research, and Legal Update
03/01/2015

·        These consequences include impaired short-term memory and decreased concentration, attention span, and problem solving, which clearly interfere with learning. Alterations in motor control, coordination, judgment, reaction time, and tracking ability have also been documented; these may contribute to unintentional deaths and injuries among adolescents (especially those associated with motor vehicles if adolescents drive while intoxicated by marijuana).
·        Negative health effects on lung function associated with smoking marijuana have also been documented, and studies linking marijuana use with higher rates of psychosis in patients with a predisposition to schizophrenia have recently been published, raising concerns about longer-term psychiatric effects. New research has also demonstrated that the adolescent brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex areas controlling judgment and decision-making, is not fully developed until the mid-20s, raising questions about how any substance use may affect the developing brain. Research has shown that the younger an adolescent begins using drugs, including marijuana, the more likely it is that drug dependence or addiction will develop in adulthood.
·         A recent analysis of 4 large epidemiologic trials found that marijuana use during adolescence is associated with reductions in the odds of high school completion and degree attainment and increases in the use of other illicit drugs and suicide attempts in a dose-dependent fashion that suggests that marijuana use is causative.


youth, American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP, Studies, Research
Fox News doctor: ‘Crack babies’ come from women ‘smoking this whole marijuana business’
03/01/2015
Pregnancy, baby, youth, addiction, news video clip, news article
2012-2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health National Maps of Prevalence Estimates, by State
02/26/2015
Survey, Studies, youth, increase, usage
Only On 2: Investigation Reveals Medical Marijuana Is Getting Into School Kids’ Hands
02/25/2015
youth, School, Medical
Monitoring the Future
02/21/2015

Monitoring the Future is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of American secondary school students, college students, and young adults.


Studies, youth
The Problem with Pot
02/16/2015
youth, opinion, Bennett
Doctors say more kids using drugs since marijuana legalized
02/12/2015
youth, Washington, students
Review finds ‘significant link’ between cannabis use and onset of mania symptoms
02/10/2015

Dr Marwaha said: "The observed tendency for cannabis use to precede or coincide with rather than follow mania symptoms, and the more specific association between cannabis use and new onset manic symptoms, suggests potential causal influences from cannabis use to the development of mania. It is a significant link."


mania, bi-polar, Studies, youth, mental health
Medical Marijuana: The State of the Science
02/06/2015

Medical cannabinoids are here to stay, but intellectual honesty is imperative if we are moving toward exploiting their potential benefits. Owing to rising THC concentrations of products, "medical" marijuana is rarely good medicine. This review has identified the dangers associated with whole­plant marijuana, whether used for recreational or for supposedly medical purposes.


Studies, Research, medscape, mental health, Side-Effects, heart, lungs, body, Brain, youth, cannabis, Resource Paper
The Impact of Marijuana Policies on Youth: Clinical, Research, and Legal Update
01/26/2015
youth, clinical, Research, legalization, pedestrians
Denver 8th Graders Use 350% Higher than National Average
01/23/2015
Colorado-0, national, youth
Denver 8th Graders Use 350% Higher than National Average
01/22/2015

Where do the students get their marijuana? 38% reported they got from a friend who obtains it legally, 23% reported from their parents, 22% from the black market, 9% from medical marijuana dispensaries, 4% from medical marijuana cardholders, 3% from retail marijuana stores.


youth, Colorado-0, denver, usage, increase
Trends in Use of and Attitudes Toward Marijuana Among Youth Before and After Decriminalization: The Case of California 2007-2013
01/16/2015

These results provide empirical evidence to support concerns that decriminalization may be a risk factor for future increases in youth marijuana use and acceptance.


youth, trends, case, decriminalization, california
Monitoring Health Concerns Related to Marijuana in Colorado: 2014
01/15/2015

Appendix

Changes in Marijuana Use Patterns, Systematic Literature Review, and Possible Marijuana-Related Health Effects


Colorado, health, Pregnancy, youth, Report, Statistical Reports
American Academy of Pediatrics Reaffirms Opposition to Legalizing Marijuana for Recreational or Medical Use
01/15/2015
  • ·        “Making it more available to adults – even if restrictions are in place – will increase the access for teens. Just the campaigns to legalize marijuana can have the effect of persuading adolescents that marijuana is not dangerous, which can have a devastating impact on their lifelong health and development.”
  • ·        For adolescents, marijuana can impair memory and concentration, interfering with learning, and is linked to lower odds of completing high school or obtaining a college degree. It can alter motor control, coordination and judgment, which may contribute to unintentional deaths and injuries. Regular use is also linked to psychological problems, poorer lung health, and a higher likelihood of drug dependence in adulthood. 

youth, AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics, usage
Trends in use of marijuana and attitudes toward marijuana among youth before and after decriminalization: The case of California 2007–2013
01/14/2015

In 2012 and afterwards California 12th graders as compared to their peers in other states became (a) 25% more likely to have used marijuana in the past 30 days, (b) 20% less likely to perceive regular marijuana use as a great health risk, (c) 20% less likely to strongly disapprove of regular marijuana use, and (d) about 60% more likely to expect to be using marijuana five years in the future. Analysis of 10th graders raises the possibility that the findings among 12th graders may reflect a cohort effect that was set into place two years earlier.


IJDP, youth, trends
2014 Marijuana Use In Colorado
01/01/2015
  • 1 in 3 users are daily users
  • Black adults in Colorado are using at almost 50% higher than the state average for adults; Hispanics have the lowest use rates
  • Low income Colorado adults are using at higher rates than the state average
  • Almost a third of 18-24 year olds are using marijuana
  • Almost a third of gay and lesbian adults are using marijuana - more than twice the state average for adults
  • Almost 1 in five reported driving after using marijuana

Colorado, usage, youth, Impairment
Marijuana use rises in states with legalization
12/27/2014
usage, youth, increase
Survey: Local teens smoking pot increased
12/09/2014
Florida, Teens, youth
How Marijuana Affects the Brain
12/07/2014

“It’s a natural plant! What’s the big deal?” —A common declaration among youth who believe that the effects of marijuana are harmless and that the substance shouldn’t be regulated.  Regardless of public opinion, the science is clear:  Regular recreational use of marijuana during adolescence is harmful to the brain, which isn’t fully developed until the age of 25.


Infographics, Brain, youth
Marijuana Harmfulness to Youth Wellness
12/01/2014
youth, adolescent, ATTC, Harmless
Myth: Legalization of Marijuana in Other Countries Has Been a Success
11/28/2014
Myth, legalization, youth, harm
Marijuana: The Myths Are Killing Us
11/28/2014
youth, legalization, Myth
Monitoring the Future- Perception of Harm
11/16/2014
  • Most Marijuana Use Begins in Adolescence: 78% of the 2.4 million people who began using in the last year were aged 12 to 20.
  • As perception of harm decreases, teen marijuana use increases.
  • Every Day, 3,287 Teens Use Marijuana for the First Time

monitoring the future, perception, youth
Portugal decriminalised drugs. Results? Use by teens doubled in a decade with nearly a fifth of 15 and 16-year-olds using drugs
10/31/2014
Portugal, Teens, youth, usage, Studies
Prosecutors urge others to oppose marijuana
10/30/2014
Arizona, youth, usage
Brad King: Do not let the ‘Colorado Calamity’ spread to Florida
10/18/2014
Colorado, OpEd, Amendment 2, crime, youth, emergency room, highways, car crashes, Fatalities
Sheriff Gee: Why parents should be alarmed about Amendment 2
10/14/2014
OpEd, Sheriff, Children, youth
Drug czar: Teen pot use could fuel opioid abuse
10/11/2014
Teen, youth, opioid, abuse
Commentary from Florida’s Representative to the National D.A.R.E. Youth Advisory Board
10/11/2014
youth, addiction
Sheriff Don Eslinger: Amendment 2 puts families and communities in danger
09/26/2014
amendment, youth, Florida
Dr. Drew on marijuana: “It acts like an opiate and causes severe addiction”
09/19/2014
addiction, youth, Dr. Drew
Medical Matters: The health and social benefits of abstaining from cannabis
09/15/2014

The large meta-analysis – a study of combined previous research – showed that people who are daily users of cannabis before the age of 17 are more than 60 per cent less likely to complete secondary school or to complete a degree compared with those who have never used the drug.


health, youth, Studies, dropout
Teens who Smoke Cannabis Daily 'Seven Times More Likely to Commit Suicide'
09/12/2014

Teenagers who start smoking cannabis daily before the age of 17 are seven times more likely to commit suicide, a study has found.


youth, suicide
Study: Teens who smoke weed daily are 60% less likely to complete high school than those who never use
09/12/2014

Teenagers who smoke marijuana daily are over 60 percent less likely to complete high school than those who never use. They're also 60 percent less likely to graduate college and seven times more likely to attempt suicide.


youth, dropout, high school, addiction, suicide
Bill Bennett: This notion that marijuana isn't that harmful is just plain wrong
08/14/2014
harm, Colorado-0, youth
August 2014- Legalization of MJ Impact Colorado
08/13/2014
Colorado-0, youth, car crashes 2, Death, exposure, alcohol
Where Americans smoke marijuana the most
08/05/2014
youth, usage, map
Florida Medical Marijuana Dangerous? Calvina Fay Claims Legal Weed Amendment Is Really Recreational Marijuana
07/30/2014
youth, amendment
Patrick Kennedy: Legalizing pot endangers children
07/28/2014
youth, Brain
Comparing Alcohol and Marijuana: Seriously
07/27/2014
alcohol, Research, youth
Voters in two states to consider legalizing recreational pot in 2014
07/16/2014
youth, addiction
NIDA review summarizes research on marijuana’s negative health effects
07/07/2014
addiction, youth, Effects
Legalise cannabis – and children will pay the price
07/07/2014

The emerging marijuana industry in Colorado is trying to appeal to teenagers by offering cannabis-infused soda, chocolate taffy and jujubes.


youth, mafia, Potency, Colorado, edibles
Child Proof Pot
07/05/2014

One such statistic is a spike in calls to poison control centers. According to the National Poison Data System, calls about accidental ingestion of marijuana in children 9 and younger more than tripled in states that decriminalized marijuana before 2005. In states that enacted legalization from 2005 to 2011, calls increased nearly 11.5 percent per year. Over the same period in states without decriminalization laws, the call rate stayed the same.


youth, Children, poisoning, emergency room
Marijuana- 2014 Dr. Madras Presentation
07/01/2014
madras, opioid, Pregnancy, youth, powerpoint, Brain
Don't be Doped, Smoking Pot is NOT medicine.
06/23/2014
risks, youth
Dumb and dumber? Teen marijuana use linked to lower IQ in later life
06/20/2014
youth, IQ
NIDA review summarizes research on marijuana’s negative health effects
06/19/2014

The scientists focus on marijuana’s harmful effects on teens, an age group in which the brain rapidly develops, which is one factor that could help explain increased risks from marijuana use in this population. Research suggests that marijuana impairs critical thinking and memory functions during use and that these deficits persist for days after using. 


youth, NIDA
Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence
06/13/2014

States that legalized medical marijuana had higher rates of marijuana use. Future research needs to examine whether the association is causal, or is due to an underlying common cause, such as community norms supportive of the legalization of medical marijuana and of marijuana use.


legalization, youth, Studies, Research
Smoking marijuana as a teenager lowers IQ for LIFE, scientists warn
06/07/2014

The damaging effects remain even if the person stops smoking the drug
·         Teenagers are at particular risk because their brains are still developing
·         Smoking cannabis affects critical thinking and memory
·         Researchers warn that stronger varieties today are causing more damage 


Studies, Brain, youth, Impairment, memory
Considering Cannabis: The Effects of Regular Cannabis Use on Neurocognition in Adolescents and Young Adults.
06/01/2014

In this review, we will provide a detailed overview of studies outlining the effects of regular (at least weekly) cannabis use on neurocognition, including studies outlining cognitive, structural and functional findings. We will also explore the public health impact of this research.


Neurocognition, adolescent, youth
Problems With the Medicalization of Marijuana
05/20/2014

Because regulatory standards of the production process vary by state, the composition, purity, and concentration of the active constituents of marijuana are also likely to vary. This is especially problematic because unlike most other prescription medications that are single active compounds, marijuana contains more than 100 cannabinoids, terpenoids, and flavonoids that produce individual, interactive, and entourage effects.

No other prescription medication is smoked; concerns remain about the long-term risks of respiratory problems associated with smoking marijuana, which are a subject of active investigation.
5 THCis already available in a pill approved by the FDA, yet this form seems to be less desirable to those seeking medical marijuana; this may in part be because its euphoric effects are not immediate and cannot be reliably controlled, unlike smoked marijuana. 6

The current system of dispensing marijuana does not safeguard adequately against the potential for diversion and abuse.

 


Doctors, treatment, youth, Medical
Cannabis Use Is Quantitatively Associated with Nucleus Accumbens and Amygdala Abnormalities in Young Adult Recreational Users
04/16/2014
Studies, Medical, Brain, youth
NIDA's Dr. Nora Volkow Discusses Marijuana's Effects on the Brain, Body & Behavior
02/10/2014
video, youth, Brain, body, Behavior
More teenagers smoke pot in states with “medical” marijuana laws
08/13/2013
youth, Medical, states
What Is Marijuana? What Is Cannabis?
06/18/2013

This article focuses on cannabis' medicinal and recreational aspects.

Cannabis, the plant, contains over 400 chemicals, including a penicillin-like antibiotic, cannabidiolic acid. The Cannabis plants' chemical derivatives can be used for either recreational or therapeutic (medicinal) purposes.


Active Ingredients, body, Side-Effects, youth
Cannabis Use in Teens Linked to Irreparable Drop in IQ
04/26/2013

"Our results suggest that adolescents are particularly vulnerable to develop cognitive impairment from cannabis and that the drug, far from being harmless, as many teens and even adults are coming to believe, can have severe neurotoxic effects on the adolescent brain,"..


Studies, youth, Brain
Impact in Colorado of legalizing marijuana- April 2013 (Data is before recreational legalization.)
04/01/2013
Colorado-0, car crashes 2, youth, emergency room
If You Thought Marijuana was Harmless, Medical Researchers Have News for You
04/01/2012

As expected, prescription cannabinoids are effective antiemetics and appetite stimulants, and some studies report their effectiveness as adjunct therapy in chronic pain syndromes, spasticity, and glaucoma. Similar results are reported by the few studies of smoked cannabis plant for these same indications. As noted earlier, safe and effective alternative treatments for all these syndromes are available.  Studies assessing psychological aspects of smoked cannabis and prescription cannabinoids uniformly report undesired effects: acute psychosis, poorer prognosis of chronic psychosis, or cognitive dulling in medical patients. 


health, addiction, pills, youth, Research, social costs
Regular marijuana use by teens continues to be a concern
01/01/2012
youth, Teens
Twins Study Links Early Marijuana Use to Increased Risk of Abuse or Dependence
11/01/2003
youth, risks
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