Surgeon General Urges Teens and Pregnant Women to Stay Away from Cannabis
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]F[/dropcap]ederal health officials issued a national warning against cannabis consumption by teens and pregnant women as more states are legalizing the plant for medical and recreational use.
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar both said they support additional research on the impacts of cannabis, but Adams said the latest research is clear that cannabis is harmful to developing brains and can be passed to babies in utero or through breast milk. Other potential risks of cannabis use include smaller babies at birth and stillbirth.
“In pregnant women, marijuana is now actually the most commonly used illicit drug,” Adams said. “Marijuana is now the third most commonly used illicit substance in adolescents behind alcohol and e-cigarettes.”
A recent study looking at data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that cannabis consumption among pregnant women has doubled. Adams is also concerned with highly potent cannabis, with THC concentration in cannabis plants increasing three-fold from 1995 to 2014. High potency cannabis has been linked to an increased risk in anxiety, paranoia, agitation and psychosis.
“As I like to say, ‘This ain’t your mother’s marijuana,’” Adams said. “The higher the THC delivery, the higher the risk.”
The American Medical Association applauded the surgeon general’s warning and his commitment to more research on the medical benefits of cannabis. The AMA recently supported the Cannabidiol and Marijuana Research Expansion Act, which would increase cannabis and CBD research.
This is the third advisory Adams has issued since he was appointed Surgeon General in 2017. Last year, he issued advisories on using naloxone to reverse and opioid overdose and on e-cigarette use among teens and adolescents. The advisory is the first advisory on cannabis since 1982.
