Amendment 64, which legalized
recreational marijuana in Colorado, took effect in January of 2014. Some
question the ramifications of lawful cannabis in terms of public health and
safety, as do I. As both an adolescent
and Colorado citizen myself, I wonder to what extent legalization has promoted
use among Colorado youth, and how, in general, our youth have been affected? To
seek out the truth, I looked to the facts.
To grasp a basic understanding from
professionals in the field, I first analyzed a source titled “How Has Legal Recreational Cannabis Affected Adolescents in Your State? A Window of Opportunity”. The authors tell why the absence of comprehensive research in
early adopting states is limiting future policy and scientific discovery.
Authors Ewing, Lovejoy, and Choo, believe that adoptive states, Colorado alike,
may have missed an imperative opportunity to research the preliminary effects
of legalization of adolescents, due to a lack of federal concern. They refer to
adolescents as “… most susceptible to the potential harms of drugs…” and
question the national concern of how cannabis legalization can and will affect
adolescents (Ewing et al. 246). Although only a minute period has passed, and change can be
gradual, they outline the need for better focused, surveilled evaluation to
track the margin of change among adolescent use. But they also suggest that the
lack of reliability in such surveys and lack of legal authority to administer
cannabis to persons under 21, profoundly limits research. The authors blame,
thus far, undiscovered harms on the lack of “… rapid routes of funding…” and
acknowledge that, “...cannibis revenues […] have not yet been directed to
evaluation [of such legislation]” (Ewing et al. 247). As other state’s legislatures consider
ratification of recreational cannabis use, the authors emphasize the urgency of
“timely evaluation” for both the sake of law-making and patient care. The
authors advocate the need for “… empirical data rather than popular belief and
speculation.” (Ewing et al. 247).
After evaluating this piece, one
fundamental question resonates with me: If there is a lack of studies to
evaluate recreational marijuana legislation, does that mean that there isn’t
really a problem that concerns Colorado adolescents and authorities? More
importantly, do the profit, revenue, and taxes raised by the cannabis industry
outweigh the alleged “cost” against Colorado youth? Or better yet, from an
ethical standpoint, should it, because the cost of adolescent safety and health
is priceless? I think this article, however, neglects to discuss what was
previously known about marijuana’s effects on the human body. It’s not as if
there is no knowledge; I sense that there is just a lack of knowledge specific
to adolescents. Although the effects of adult vs. youth may vary, I assume that
the effects could only be worse on an underdeveloped brain and body. I’d like
to understand what data does exist, so I can formulate my own conclusions.
While I think there may be ramifications, I have yet to decide whether they are
positive or negative. Works Cited
Ewing, Sarah W. Feldstein, et al. "How Has Legal Recreational
Cannabis Affected Adolescents in Your State? A Window of Opportunity." American
Journal of Public Health, vol. 107, no. 2, Feb. 2017, pp. 246-247. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303585.
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ReplyDeleteI noticed that the abstract of the source you read says it "mentions cannabis dispensaries and advertising in relation to a potential increase in cannabis use by young people in the U.S." This is interesting to consider. We certainly allow ads for alcohol in our culture, and don't seem to worry that teens will see alcohol ads on TV regularly. I wonder if comparisons have been made between advertising strategies of tobacco, alcohol, and legal marijuana? I also wonder where teens are really seeing cannabis ads in Colorado? Is it just on storefronts and billboards? I certainly don't remember seeing any TV ads, but I could probably describe/quote half a dozen beer or liquor ads that I have seen on TV in the past week! I guess I just wonder if we are in a transition phase where marijuana is becoming more like alcohol and tobacco in terms of our tolerance for it in the culture?
ReplyDeleteAnd, did you get the sense that the lack of studies/research is due to the federal illegality of the drug? Or to lack of interest in such research?
Josi,
ReplyDeleteI think that there is a lot of very interesting information about this topic. Especially being a teenager, I think that there are a ton of different effects of using marijuana. Going off of what Mrs. Easley said, I think that it would be interesting to explore the acceptance of it. Also, there are more and more dispensaries popping up and I wonder if that has some effects on teens. Are they using more often? and Is it easier for teens to get?
Josi,
ReplyDeleteAs a mother (to a 14 year old boy), this actually brings to mind some questions of my own. As Allison noted above, I know that this states that the lack of knowledge is due to lack of proper funding, research and such - but I also have to propose that because this is not federally mandated and legal, perhaps the youths don't want to admit or speak about it to anyone asking questions... From my own personal experience, when I was an adolescent, I definitely did not want to speak about anything that I wasn't "supposed" to be doing. Especially with adults. What about you, personally? Do you hear about it often and if you do, do you hear because of being in that social circle? Or is it hear/say?