Marijuana – Page 137 – Family Council

Marijuana Edibles Continue to Plague Schools

May 12, 2016Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

We have written multiple times how marijuana edibles–food infused with marijuana or marijuana extracts–have been a recurring problem for many schoolchildren.

Across the country we have seen instances in which marijuana edibles are brought to school, where students eat them–sometimes without knowing the food’s contents–and are subsequently hospitalized for THC overdose.

Police in Illinois reported recently that three teens brought marijuana-laced food to their high school.

In Ohio, doctors are concerned about the danger of marijuana edibles, telling local news sources,

[M]arijuana edibles can create dire situations if consumed by children.

“Respiratory depression — in other words, not breathing right or not breathing often enough… Yeah, absolutely life-threatening,”

All of this underscores what we have been saying for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Marijuana Use May Lead to Amputation

May 9, 2016Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

Australian news sources report daily marijuana use can cause a condition that may result in loss of limbs.

The Sydney Morning Herald writes,

Cannabis arteritis is a condition caused by long-term daily cannabis use that results in lesions growing on arteries.

It is a rare condition that can lead to limb amputation . . .

In a nutshell, marijuana-use can cause plaque to build up in arteries, restricting blood flow, damaging tissue, and possibly leading to amputation.

Doctors say stopping marijuana-use can improve a cannabis arteritis patient’s prognosis.

CO Study: One in Six Children Hospitalized for Lung Inflammation Test Positive for Marijuana Exposure

May 6, 2016Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released a study showing “one in six infants and toddlers admitted to a Colorado hospital with coughing, wheezing and other symptoms of bronchiolitis tested positive for marijuana exposure.”

The AAP writes,

The findings suggest that secondhand marijuana smoke, which contains carcinogenic and psychoactive chemicals, may be a rising child health concern as marijuana increasingly becomes legal for medical and recreational use in the United States, said lead researcher Karen M. Wilson, MD, MPH, FAAP, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and section head at [Children’s Hospital Colorado]. Most states with legal marijuana do not restrict its combustion around children, she said.

“Our study demonstrates that, as with secondhand tobacco smoke, children can be exposed to the chemicals in marijuana when it is smoked by someone nearby,” Dr. Wilson said. “Especially as marijuana becomes more available and acceptable, we need to learn more about how this may affect children’s health and development.” In the meantime, she said, “marijuana should never be smoked in the presence of children.”

Of course if it’s harmful to use marijuana around children, one has to question the wisdom in giving so-called “medical marijuana” to children at all.