"Effects of cannabis legalization on adolescents" - Josi Beck

.  After my last blog post, I was particularly curious about how marijuana use affects the brain – both structurally and behaviorally. So, I analyzed the scholarly source, “Marijuana Use: Neuroscience Perspective” by psychiatrist Lukasz M. Konopka. Konopka names cannabis as one of several psychoactive drugs that may become a gateway substance to addiction. The author ensures that marijuana does not have benign neurocognitive effects, and he refers to the prevalent assumption that it is innocuous as a “popular misconception”. The author, additionally, sheds light on the fact the humans possess endocannabinoid molecules. In layman’s terms, these are specific neurotransmitters that operate  “…in brain functions such as pain modulation, motor activity, reduced rapid eye movement, sleep, as well as mood, motivation, and higher cognitive processes.” (Konopka 281). Konopka suggests that because of this endocannabinoid system, which is indigenous to the human body, these preex...

After my previous post, I now have reservations as to whether there is a real issue involving Colorado adolescents and marijuana abuse. As a supplement to my research, I wanted to learn further about potential health risks of both recreational and medical marijuana legalization specific to youth. Henceforth, I analyzed an article titled, “Implications of Marijuana Legalization for Adolescent Substance Use” published by Christian Hopfer, MD. The author declares that, due to recent Colorado cannabis legalization (recreational and medical) and ambiguity surrounding the “unknowns” about cannabis, it has been quite difficult to decipher implications on a susceptible youth. Hopfer suggests that recreational and medical legalization may have blurred the lines for youth between marijuana’s harmfulness and medicinal properties, which “…may lead to a substantial increase in adolescent marijuana abuse and dependence” (Hopfer 2). This is especially true being that marijuana is fairly accessibl...

Following my research in my last blog post, I was left yearning to inquire what concrete data does exist, for the sake of my own research. Therefore, I sought out a study published by  JAMA Pediatrics  titled “Association of State Recreational Marijuana Laws With Adolescent Marijuana Use” . This study, which surveyed 17 Colorado schools (2,982 students) and 30 Washington schools (5,509 students), aimed to explore two outcomes of interest: change of perceived harmfulness and frequency of use. Both pre- and post-legalization data, collected by means of participating 8 th , 10 th and 12 th graders, was examined and compared to states without legal recreational cannabis. The cross-sectional survey itself, from  Monitoring the Future,  showed data spanning from 2010-2015.  JAMA Pediatrics used such data to “…examine the association between legalization of recreational marijuana use in Washington and Colorado in 2012 and the subsequent perceived harmfulnes...