Utah Drs. Warn Of Hidden Dangers of ‘Wacky Weed’

Somehow, marijuana is being given a pass in many parts of the country when it comes to addictiveness and other hidden dangers.

A program through Intermountain Health St. George aims to make the myth that marijuana is perfectly safe public knowledge.

The Gray Matters program gives information on how to talk to your kids and students about the effects of marijuana on a developing brain.

Marijuana misuse among junior high and high schools is surpassing underage drinking and Gray Matters is working to to raise the red flags for parents and adults throughout Utah communities.

This includes presenting the challenges for parents to talk to their teens and tweens on the issues of marijuana and vaping misuse.

Read More Here: Legalized Marijuana? Don't Do It, Utah

A new interactive exhibit was unveiled at a recent press conference that helps illustrate the issues and facts. The exhibit will be placed at the Intermountain Washington Fields Pediatric Clinic in St. George for the foreseeable future.

The press conference included representatives from the Southwest Behavioral Health Center and the Washington County Youth Coalition

Marijuana, also known as cannabis or weed, can have various harmful effects on both the mind and body.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, marijuana can cause permanent IQ loss of as much as eight points when people start using it at a young age. These IQ points do not come back, even after quitting marijuana.

Research has also shown that marijuana affects timing, movement, and coordination, which can harm athletic performance.

More specifically to young people, marijuana or  "Tetrahydrocannabinol," the active ingredient in marijuana commonly known as "THC," targets the frontal lobe of the brain, which is critical for important functions like cognition and impulse control.

The frontal lobe is also one of the last areas of the brain to develop, leaving teens and young adults particularly vulnerable to these effects.

That's according to Harvard Dr. Randi Schuster.

After alcohol, marijuana is the most commonly used drug in the United States, with nearly half of adults reporting having used it at some point in their lives.

Regular users are most highly concentrated among young people 18 to 25 -- nearly one in five young adults is a regular user (defined as those who use marijuana at least once per month) -- with the next highest concentration among teens 13 to 17 years old.

Right now, marijuana is legal (for adults) in 24 of 50 states in the USA.

Visit the Gray Matters website, graymatters.utah.gov to learn more.

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