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Surgeon General Issues Pot Warning: 'This Ain't Your Mother's Marijuana'

News  |  By Steven Porter  
   August 29, 2019

Today's professionally grown marijuana plants are significantly stronger than the type grown two or more decades ago.

Surgeon General Vice Adm. Jerome M. Adams issued an advisory Thursday warning against marijuana use by pregnant women and youths.

Although the drug remains illegal under federal law, 33 states have legalized marijuana in some way, whether for recreational or strictly medicinal purposes. In those states, there has been a decrease among high school students in the perceived harms of pot, Adams said during a press conference.

"While the perceived harm of marijuana is decreasing ... the actual potential for harm is increasing," he said, adding that today's professionally grown marijuana plants can have three-times as much THC as the plants grown two decades ago.

"This ain't your mother's marijuana," Adams said.

Marijuana continues to be the most commonly used illegal drug, and frequent marijuana use among youths and young adults "appears to be associated with risks for opioid use, heavy alcohol use and major depressive episodes," according to a Health and Human Services announcement that cites the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

During the press conference, Adams and HHS Secretary Alex Azar praised President Donald Trump for donating one-quarter of his salary ($100,000) to support digital outreach efforts related to this advisory. 

Steven Porter is an associate content manager and Strategy editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.

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