Pediatricians warn against Marijuana use for Teens

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on March 07, 2017.

More than half of the American States have already legalized marijuana for medical use, but a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that doesn't mean people particularly teen should use the drug.

According to the report, published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics, the increasing legality of marijuana across the country for medical and recreational use has created an environment in which marijuana increasingly is seen as acceptable, safe, and therapeutic; but Pediatricians should counsel teenagers and their parents about its potential harmful to children.

"Marijuana is not a benign drug, especially for teens. Their brains are still developing, and marijuana can cause abnormal and unhealthy changes”, write Sheryl A. Ryan, MD, and Seth D. Ammerman, MD, and colleagues in the clinical report.

Marijuana has some real risks that can have a longstanding effect on an individual's health and function. In case of teens, regular using of marijuana can experience decreased sensory awareness; weakened motor skill control and memory function, and impaired lung function. The drug is also tied to mental disorders including psychosis, depression, and addiction, the AAP Report says.

More than anything else, marijuana’s harmfulness is due to the higher level of THC concentration in the marijuana plant, which is a psychoactive substance that weakens the human body, says the report.

According to Government report, about 40 percent of U.S. high school students have tried marijuana; about 20 percent are current users and close to 10 percent first tried it before age 13. Use has increased in recent years among those aged 18 and older.

The AAP is urging doctors to talk about using marijuana as well as screening kids for substance abuse. Parents who use it may not know about the impacts it can have on children, they say.

As many as 29 states have legalized medical marijuana, among which, eight states, along with the District of Columbia, have made recreational marijuana legal for persons of 21 years and above the age.

comments powered by Disqus