2nd report on marijuana health effects released

   The state’s Retail Marijuana Public Health Advisory Committee has released its second set of findings from the committee’s review of the scientific literature currently available on the health effects of marijuana use.
    The report, “Monitoring Health Concerns Related to Marijuana in Colorado: 2016,” also provides survey data about marijuana use in Colorado and data from hospitals and the poison center on potential marijuana-related health effects. Senate Bill 13-283 requires the committee to monitor the emerging science and medical information about marijuana use and report its findings.
    “Just as with tobacco and alcohol, continued monitoring of marijuana use and potential health effects help guide our work to protect the health of Colorado’s citizens,” said Dr. Larry Wolk, executive director and chief medical officer at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “We want to base policy decisions and educational campaigns on sound science.”
    The report recommends continued monitoring of several trends, including:
    —About 6 percent of pregnant women choose to use marijuana while pregnant. This percentage is higher among those with unintended pregnancies as well as younger mothers or those with less education.
    Using marijuana during pregnancy is associated with negative effects on exposed children, including decreased cognitive function and ability to maintain attention on task. Effects may not appear until adolescence.
    —At least 14,000 children in Colorado are at risk of accidentally eating marijuana products that are not safely stored, and at least 16,000 are at risk of being exposed to secondhand marijuana smoke in the home. The committee found strong evidence that such accidental exposures can lead to significant clinical effects that, in some cases, require hospitalization.
    —More than 5 percent of high school students use marijuana daily or nearly daily. This has been the case since at least 2005. The report finds weekly marijuana use by adolescents is associated with impaired learning, memory, math and reading for as long as 28 days after last use.

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