Over the last decade, we have seen marijuana use sky rocket in high school children. Often when we talk to teens about marijuana, they believe it is safe and will not lead to addiction. They learn these "facts" from friends, social media, and studies/experiences from the 60s and 80s. I know as I was growing up, and even in med school, we were told marijuana was not addictive and safer than tobacco and alcohol.
We now know this past way of thinking does not apply to today's situation. Why? Because marijuana is much much stronger than it used to be. When grandma was smoking marijuana in the 60s at Woodstock, the average THC (the part of marijuana that makes you high) was 2%. Today's marijuana has THC in the 17-28% range. Another way to say this is marijuana from 2020's is 9-14x stronger than marijuana from the 1960-1980s. Imagine if your favorite drink had 9x more alcohol, or your Pepsi had 9x more caffeine - would you say it was just as safe?
Current research shows with the current THC level, that kids that smoke marijuana recreationally can have a 8% intelligence decrease that does not recover once they stop smoking, have less impulse control, and unlike adults, 17% of teens will become addicted. It is very hard to become addicted with marijuana from the past, but with current marijuana it is much more likely.
Another myth is that it is safer with driving than alcohol. In 2000 9% of fatal car accidents involved marijuana, but in 2018 21.5% of fatal car accidents involved marijuana. Using marijuana also leads to more anxiety and depression in teens, and teens that smoke have 3x more likelihood of having a psychotic episode than kids that do not.
The old advice that it is better for your health long term than tobacco has been shown to be false. Recent studies show marijuana smokers actually have more emphysema than tobacco smokers, and many of the cancer causing chemicals in tobacco are also in marijuana. The more we learn about the effect of today's marijuana on kids' health, the more urgent it becomes that we talk to our kids about this on a routine basis. Make sure they have information that is reliable and up to date!
Lastly, be a good role model. 16% of children in the US live with a parent that smokes/uses marijuana in front of them. Just because you may have a bad habit doesn't mean you want that for your child, and remember, marijuana's effects are much worse on a growing brain below the age of 26. It is important that you let your child know the risks!
Until next time, good luck parenting!
Dr. William Fisher
Fisher Pediatrics
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