ER visits related to marijuana use at a Colorado hospital quadruple after legalization
More than half of teens' marijuana-related visits also involved psychiatric evaluations
May 4, 2017
Science Daily/American Academy of Pediatrics
Visits by teens to a Colorado children's hospital emergency department and its satellite urgent care centers increased rapidly after legalization of marijuana for commercialized medical and recreational use, according to new research being presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in San Francisco.
The study abstract, "Impact of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado on Adolescent Emergency Visits" on Monday, May 8 at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco.
Colorado legalized the commercialization of medical marijuana in 2010 and recreational marijuana use in 2014. For the study, researchers reviewed the hospital system's emergency department and urgent care records for 13- to 21-year-olds seen between January 2005 and June 2015. They found that the annual number of visits with a cannabis related diagnostic code or positive for marijuana from a urine drug screen more than quadrupled during the decade, from 146 in 2005 to 639 in 2014.
Adolescents with symptoms of mental illness accounted for a large proportion (66 percent) of the 3,443 marijuana-related visits during the study period, said lead author George Sam Wang, MD, FAAP, with psychiatry consultations increasing from 65 to 442. More than half also had positive urine drug screen tests for other drugs. Ethanol, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, opiates and cocaine were the most commonly detected.
Dr. Wang, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, said national data on teen marijuana use suggest rates remained roughly the same (about 7 percent) in 2015 as they'd been for a decade prior, with many concluding no significant impact from legalization. Based on the findings of his study, however, he said he suspects these national surveys do not entirely reflect the effect legalization may be having on teen usage.
"The state-level effect of marijuana legalization on adolescent use has only begun to be evaluated," he said. "As our results suggest, targeted marijuana education and prevention strategies are necessary to reduce the significant public health impact of the drug can have on adolescent populations, particularly on mental health."
Dr. Wang will present the abstract, "Impact of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado on Adolescent Emergency Department (ED) Visits," from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Numbers in this news release reflect updated information provided by the researchers.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170504083114.htm
How can marijuana policy protect the adolescent brain?
February 8, 2017
Science Daily/SAGE
As more states begin to legalize the use of marijuana, more young people may start to believe that it's safe to experiment with the drug. However, those under 25 are more vulnerable to the effects of drugs than are older adults. New legislation on legal marijuana use should include consideration of age limits and other guidelines for safe use, according to the authors of an article published in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, a Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS) journal published in partnership with SAGE Publishing.
"As states consider legislation for marijuana use, it is imperative to determine safe guidelines regarding its impact on the brain, particularly during critical periods of neurodevelopment," commented study authors Staci A. Gruber and Kelly A. Sagar of McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. "Although 'just say no' did not work as a successful prevention policy, 'just not yet' may be a more effective and informed message to promote, especially among our nation's youth."
Examining research on recreational marijuana's impact on the brain, Gruber and Sagar recommend that laws legalizing marijuana outline restrictions on:
· Age: Some parts of the brain, such as those dealing with planning and problem-solving, continue to develop until the mid-20s. In addition, those who start using marijuana during adolescence are more likely to have problems with memory and to use marijuana at high levels in the future. Policymakers should take into account the risks that marijuana poses to adolescents when considering age restrictions and advertisements for these products should not target youth.
· Frequency and magnitude of use: Those who use marijuana frequently and/or in high doses are more likely to have worse problems with cognition and memory than those who don't. To prevent users from abusing marijuana, policymakers should determine safe guidelines for use.
· Potency: Some varieties of marijuana plants and related products, including concentrates such as oils and wax, have high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical responsible for most of marijuana's ability to get users high. Other varieties and products contain greater concentrations of non-psychoactive cannabinoids including cannabidiol (CBD), which does not get users high and is well known for its role in treating conditions such as pediatric epilepsy, anxiety, and pain. Instead of treating all types of marijuana as the same, policymakers should consider limits on THC potency for young consumers as well as minimums for potentially beneficial cannabinoids, such as CBD, for medical use.
While recreational marijuana use during vulnerable periods of neurodevelopment has been linked to adverse effects, marijuana and its constituents also appear to hold great therapeutic potential. Currently, "policy has outpaced science, and eased restrictions allowing citizens to use marijuana, in some cases without the benefit of appropriate research," continued Gruber and Sagar. "Additional investigation is warranted and necessary to help guide informed policy decisions. Consumers have a right and a clear need to understand what their chosen marijuana products contain and what to expect."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170208094219.htm