Facts & Risks
Educate Your Family on Dangers of Marijuana Use
Marijuana use comes with real risks that can impact a person’s health and life.
Whether marijuana is smoked, vaped, or eaten, there are adverse effects associated with use in any form.
Studies have found marijuana is an addictive, harmful, and mind altering drug. It over-activates parts of the brain and negatively affects brain development. Marijuana leads to physical health problems, mental health problems, and risk of addiction.
With the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana throughout the United States, marijuana potency has increased exponentially. Concentrates are not the traditional joint of the past. Concentrates are highly potent, THC-rich forms of marijuana that can be vaped, dabbed, and used in edibles.
Exposure to high levels of THC, the chemical in marijuana that causes impairment, increases the risks of physical dependence and addiction. Higher doses of THC are more likely to produce anxiety, agitation, paranoia, and psychosis.
Arizona Parents: Do you need tips on how to talk to your child about the new recreational marijuana laws? Download these talking tips today.
Surgeon General Advisory
“This ain’t your mother’s marijuana… the marijuana of today is significantly more potent.”
– VADM Jerome Adams, the first Surgeon General Advisory on marijuana since 1982
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Almost 30% of teens have used marijuana - this is TOO many!
Latest Studies
Health risks of vaping cannabis | Medical News Bulletin | 2020
There is a large concern for the increasing popularity of vaping among young adults. Studies show that inhaling aerosolized e-liquids, which contain toxicants, can significantly affect respiratory health. Vitamin E acetate is used as an additive in vaping products and is by far one of the largest contributors to lung injuries in young adults. But what are the health risks of vaping cannabis?
Researchers examined the health risks of cannabis vaping by conducting a study with 2553 young adults from Southern California. They looked at different frequencies of exposure to cannabis use in order to determine whether or not any health risks were involved…
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Progression of cannabis withdrawal symptoms in people using medical cannabis for chronic pain | Wiley Online Library | 01/05/2021
Research from cohorts of individuals with recreational cannabis use indicates that cannabis withdrawal symptoms are reported by more than 40% of those using regularly. Withdrawal symptoms are not well understood in those who use cannabis for medical purposes. Therefore, we prospectively examined the stability of withdrawal symptoms in individuals using cannabis to manage chronic pain.
Conclusion: Adults with chronic pain seeking medical cannabis certification or re‐certification appear to experience mild to severe withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms tend to be stable over a 2‐year period, but younger age is predictive of worse symptoms and of an escalating withdrawal trajectory.
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Toxins in marijuana smoke may be harmful to health, study finds | CNN | 01/11/2021
Smoking weed may expose you to the same type of toxic chemicals found in tobacco smoke, a new study finds.
People who only smoked marijuana had higher blood and urine levels of several smoke-related toxins such as naphthalene, acrylamide and acrylonitrile than nonsmokers, according to the study published Monday in the journal EClinicalMedicine.
Smoking marijuana may expose you to toxic chemicals associated with neurological damage, cancer and other serious health issues…
Read more | Read the study
Analysis of US Teen Driving After Using Marijuana, 2017 | JAMA Network | 12/23/2020
Our study found that almost half (48.8%) of teen drivers who currently use marijuana reported driving after using marijuana (DAUM), which is 17% higher than the rate found in a study of first-year college students in 2012. We also found that the prevalence of DAUM (12.7%) was more than double the prevalence of drinking and driving (5.0%), perhaps reflecting teens’ perception that DAUM is less dangerous and more acceptable than driving after using alcohol. Policies such as zero tolerance of THC while driving and increased age limits for legal marijuana consumption might help alter social norms among teens.
Although we found a higher prevalence of DAUM among male youths than female youths, the differences were not statistically significant. This contrasts with previous research among high school seniors in 2009 to 2012 and first-year college students with current marijuana use in 2012...
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Prevalence and modes of cannabis use among youth in Canada, England, and the US, 2017 to 2019 | National Library of Medicine | 11/17/2020
Objective: Cannabis markets are evolving in terms of greater diversity and potency of products. The current study examined changes in cannabis use and modes of consumption among 16- to 19-year-olds in three markets with different regulatory frameworks: England, Canada, and the United States (US).
Conclusion: Prevalence is increasing for the most potent categories of cannabis products, particularly among youth in Canada and the US. Future research should examine the potential risks of these products and whether shifts in modes of cannabis reflect recent permissive changes to cannabis policy.
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Latest NEWS Commentary
You Know Nothing About Weed | JohnnysAmbassadors.org | 11/23/2020
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DEA: Teen depression and suicide linked to marijuana use | FOX 29 | 11/17/2020
More and more research suggests the high potency of THC or marijuana is having dangerous impacts on the developing brains of teenagers. Teens who use cannabis could be at a higher risk of experiencing depression and attempting suicide.
“In 2019, there were nearly 700,000 youths, ages 12 to 17, that was addicted to marijuana, which shows an increase of nearly 187,000 new youth in 2019 alone with cannabis use disorder,” said Dr. Kenneth Finn, Pain Medicine Physician in Colorado.
Finn has seen the negative effects it’s having on teens who live in a state where marijuana is legalized.
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Prop. 207: Will legal marijuana be a smelly problem in the Valley? | ABC 15 | 10/14/2020
A Valley woman is raising concerns about marijuana odors that could fill the air if Proposition 207 passes, a voter-led initiative to legalize the use of cannabis for responsible adult use. Renee Moore said she is already experiencing the problems caused by the smell of medical marijuana coming from her neighbor’s apartment. Because her neighbors are medical marijuana cardholders, Moore said her property management company and city code enforcement staff have told her there is nothing they can do, as long as the residents are using the cannabis inside their homes.
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Marijuana use increases pain after surgery, requires more anesthesia, study finds | CNN | 10/05/2020
If you think smoking or ingesting weed helps control pain of all types, think again. Using marijuana before entering the hospital for a surgical procedure can make your pain during recovery significantly worse, according to research presented Monday …
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Using weed during pregnancy linked to psychotic-like behaviors in children, study finds | CNN | 09/24/2020
If you’re one of the growing numbers of women who use weed while pregnant, think twice: A new study found it may increase psychotic-like behaviors in children. The study, published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry, analyzed data on 11,489 children who were followed as part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which says it’s the “largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States.” The children’s cognitive and behavior patterns were evaluated in middle childhood, around age 9 …