The marijuana industry is following the tobacco industry’s playbook: hook teens and insist that “it’s good for you, and safe." This presentation will counter the lies with the facts told by laboratory and population research. The session will focus on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is marijuana’s “troublemaker”, and present both current understanding of THC’s action at the cellular level and data on the resulting impacts of brain exposure to THC -harm that may last a few hours or a lifetime depending on the dosage and frequency of THC exposure and the age when exposed. The session will include information on the child and adolescent mental health burden from prenatal exposure to THC, the relative hazards of edibles and vaping, and the exceptional vulnerabilities of the adolescent brain to cannabis use disorder and its devastating sequelae. Thinking population and patient intervention, the session will review patterns of use relative to perception of risk, the financial and psychosocial power of the marijuana industry, Arizona’s marijuana law – and recommended screening tools.
At the conclusion of this activity, learners will be able to:
AzAAP gratefully acknowledges financial support for this PMHCA series from Vitalyst Health Foundation.