U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams called the spread of state marijuana legalization “a massive public health experiment on our citizenry.”
Appearing before a hearing of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control on Wednesday, Adams emphasized that legalization has proceeded without adequate scientific evidence. He said state lawmakers have rushed to enter the lucrative drug market despite the fact that many people do not fully understand the risks associated with marijuana use. He highlighted the risks of marijuana use by teenagers, pregnant women, and recent mothers—all of which, he said, remain chronically under-discussed in spite of their support in the scientific literature.
“No amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or adolescence is known to be safe,” Adams said. “Therefore communities must consider and should not minimize the short and long-term public health impacts of marijuana use.”
Adams pointed to research showing that chronic adolescent marijuana use is associated with depressed IQ, as well as changes in areas of the brain associated with attention, memory, decision-making, and motivation—changes which do not abate even after a month of abstinence. He also noted that scientific evidence suggests that marijuana use by pregnant women is a major risk factor for pre-term birth, which is in turn linked to a host of future health problems. – READ MORE