Although many people celebrate 4/20 as a day for marijuana use or “weed day”, Dr Leana Wen, a medical analyst at CNN, has concerns about the use of recreational cannabis, particularly among certain populations such as young and pregnant people.
While there is a trend towards legalising marijuana in the United States, there is still a lot that is unknown about the effects of marijuana, especially its long-term consequences.
Marijuana can cause impaired thinking, interfere with someone’s ability to learn, and impact the developing brain. Marijuana use in women during pregnancy has been linked to a variety of cognitive and behavioural problems in their children.
Dr Wen urges caution for users and would-be users and emphasizes the need for more research. While there are some approved medicinal uses of marijuana, Dr Wen recommends that users should use caution in evaluating supposed medicinal claims and clearly understand the risks of cannabis use.
Marijuana use can cause marijuana use disorder, and the risk is greater among those who use it more frequently and those who started earlier in life. Dr Wen notes that marijuana use disorder can cause withdrawal symptoms when users try to stop, and as many as 3 in 10 people who use marijuana have the disorder, according to the CDC. She further emphasises that supporting decriminalization should not be equated with believing that marijuana is totally safe, as it has the potential to cause real and lasting harm, especially to young people.
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