THC = 1 Substance in CO Teen Suicides – Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
THC Making You Puke? Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) is a poorly understood vomiting disorder associated with chronic cannabis use, highest in the 16-24 age group. – pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36307209
Don’t think marijuana gets into the hands of kids? In 2021, only 80 compliance checks were completed for the 1,074 marijuana dispensaries in CO. Only 16 were done in the 1st quarter of 2022. – CO Marijuana Enforcement Division
#1 Contributor to Future Opioid Use = Marijuana Use Marijuana use before the age of 18 increases the risk of using and developing addiction to opioids. – 2019 CDC Youth Risk Behavioral Study
What Kills Most Teens in Colorado? SUICIDE What Substance is Most Found After They Die? THC – Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Think Marijuana is Safe? Cannabis use is associated with increased risk for serious adverse health events. Compared with control individuals, cannabis users had significantly increased odds of all-cause ER visit or hospitalization. – BMJ Open Respiratory Research
Teen THC Use = Poor Mental Health and Addiction in Adulthood Cannabis effects on mental health and addiction-related outcomes were worse in adolescents and early cannabis initiators. – Frontiers in Psychiatry
50 Woodstock Joints = 1 Marijuana Dab – Johnny’s Ambassadors
Youth Marijuana Use = STRONG Association with Developing Psychotic Symptoms in Adulthood • Hallucinations • Paranoia • Delusional beliefs – Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Want to Have Kids Someday? Marijuana use can reduce sperm count by 50+%. – Am J Epidemiol
Teen THC Use = 5x increase in psychotic disorders – Lancet Psychiatry
Daily or near-daily marijuana use by adolescents and young adults is strongly associated with developing a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia in adulthood. – Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
Think You Can Stop Using Marijuana? “Starting marijuana use during adolescence or young adulthood is strongly associated with future marijuana addiction.” – Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Want to Make Something of Yourself? Cannabis users who began regular use in their teens had poorer later life outcomes than non-using peers, such as less likely to be in a relationship. – Drug and Alcohol Review
Is Your Child Struggling with Poor Mental Health? “Adolescents and young adults who quit marijuana use have a lower risk of developing mental health disorders than those who continue to use.” – Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
Marijuana use = impaired learning and memory up to 28 days This impairment increases with frequent use and is associated with failure to graduate from high school and not attaining a college degree. – marijuanahealthinfo.colorado.gov/literature-review/public-health-statements
Failing at School? Stop using THC! “Teens who use marijuana are more likely to quit high school or not get a college degree.” – CDC.gov
Feeling Down? Cannabis use was linked to an increased risk of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicidal attempts in young adulthood. – JAMA Psychiatry
Emerging concerns related to youth use of high potency marijuana products • Increased acute care visits • Mental health disorders • Cannabis-induced psychosis – Adolescent Psychiatry www.eurekaselect.com/article/116201
People who drive under the influence of marijuana experience slower reactions, lane weaving, and decreased coordination. – SAMHSA.gov
In CO, the #1 Demographic of Emergency Room Discharges Likely Attributed to Cannabis: YOUTH AGES 13-17 (232.0 per 100,000 discharges) – marijuanahealthreport.colorado.gov
Want to be Smart? Don’t be a Dope! Long-term marijuana use results in a loss of IQ points from childhood to midlife. – The American Journal of Psychiatry
Marijuana increases risk of depression and suicidality Marijuana use during adolescence increases the likelihood of becoming depressed or attempting suicide in young adulthood. – ncbi.nml.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6450286
Think Marijuana Makes You Creative? Teens who use marijuana are more likely to quit high school or not get a college degree. – CDC.gov
COUGH, COUGH, COUGH! Marijuana smoke can cause symptoms of chronic bronchitis, a heavy cough, and lung irritation. – drugabuse.gov
Can’t Remember a Thing? Early initiation of marijuana use is associated with deficits in auditory-verbal memory in young adults. – Neurotoxicol Teratol
Marijuana Can Hurt Your Brain Until your mid-20s, marijuana use might have permanent effects on your developing brain! – CDC.gov
Youth THC Use = STRONG Association With Future High-Risk Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs – Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Marijuana IS Addictive 1-in-3 teens who use the drug daily can become addicted, and 1-in-6 teens who use before the age of 18 can become addicted. – nida.nih.gov
Brain Feeling Slow? Using THC leads to cognitive impairments including: • Making decisions • Suppressing inappropriate responses • Learning through reading and listening • The ability to remember what one reads or hears • The time needed to complete a mental task – Society for the Study of Addiction
Addiction to THC is up to 7 times higher for a growing brain (12-18) than an adult brain (22-26) While the legal age to use marijuana is 18 (medical) or 21 (recreational), the scientific age for an adult brain is 25 to 30 years old. We would have less addiction if people abstained from any addictive substance until age 30. – Drug and Alcohol Dependence volume 92
Marijuana causes brain damage The brain continues to grow until the late-20s. When teens use marijuana, they stunt the formation of their prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain in charge of decision making, motivation, and judgment. – JAMA Psychiatry 2021
Marijuana is NOT safer than tobacco A radiology study comparing the CT scans of chronic marijuana smokers, verses tobacco smokers and non-smokers, found the marijuana smokers showed the worst effects. Another study comparing second hand smoke from a Marlboro cigarette, a marijuana joint, and a nicotine vape, found that a marijuana joint produces 3.5 times as much secondhand smoke as a Marlboro cigarette. – Journal of Adolescent Health 2021
Marijuana is Poorly Regulated Just because pot is sold in a dispensary does not mean it’s safe. The public has no FDA protective standards. 20 of 20 plant-based samples from legal dispensaries were found to have contaminants, toxins, carcinogens, bacteria, and/or fungus. – UC Davis
Marijuana targets the heart While the brain is the number one target for THC, the heart is number two. Use of high-potency THC is associated with heart attack, stroke, and irregular heart rhythms. – American Heart Association
Small Children Are Being Poisoned by THC Sadly, the number one poisoning in children under the age of six is marijuana. Marijuana poisoning for this age group has increased 13.3 fold from 2004 to 2018 with 15% of them requiring ICU care. – Academic Pediatrics Vol. 22 2021
Weed whacks your DNA Marijuana is genotoxic, meaning it can damage your DNA. Altered male sperm DNA is associated with the birth of autistic children, and prenatal cannabis exposure is linked to elevated childhood Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (ALL). – BMC Cancer #21 2021