More Evidence Marijuana Use During Pregnancy May Harm Newborns

Marijuana

A recent study out of California found a link between heavy marijuana use during pregnancy and negative health outcomes among children.

Researchers found infants were 35% more likely to die within a year of birth if the mother used marijuana heavily; the study also found that infants were more likely to be born preterm, have a low birth weight, and be small for their gestational age.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, recent studies have shown marijuana use during pregnancy is rising, with some expectant mothers reportedly using it to relieve nausea and vomiting.

In 2019 the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory warning women not to use marijuana during pregnancy.

That same year the Arkansas Department of Health issued an advisory on marijuana as well.

Among other things, the Arkansas Department of Health’s advisory noted, “Marijuana is particularly harmful to a developing child. Smoking marijuana during pregnancy is associated with being born at low birth weight, a risk factor for death in the child’s first year of life.”

This latest research seems to confirm that marijuana is dangerous to children.

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

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Legalizing Marijuana Use Fuels Rise in Self-Harm among Young Men

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John Stonestreet, Radio Host and President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview.

Already this year, New York and Virginia have joined a growing list of states that have legalized recreational marijuana. By doing so, they’ve also joined the list of states increasing the likelihood of young men committing suicide and hurting themselves.

According to a recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, states that allow commercial marijuana sales saw “self-harm rates rise by 46% among men ages 21 to 39.” Self-harm includes suicide attempts and behaviors like cutting.

This is the latest report to suggest that recreational marijuana use, is dangerous, especially for young people and especially for young people with a certain genetic makeup. Of course, there’s no reliable way to know whether or not a young person is genetically vulnerable until it’s too late.

Despite a growing body of evidence, states continue to push for legalization as if nothing could possibly go wrong. We already know it has.

Copyright 2021 by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Reprinted from BreakPoint.org with permission.

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Bill Filed to Protect Mental Health Patients From Inappropriate Marijuana Certification

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Recently Rep. Delia Haak (R – Gentry) and Sen. David Wallace (R – Leachville) filed H.B. 1566 at the Arkansas Legislature.

This good bill requires marijuana certifications written for mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer’s to be issued by a board-certified psychiatrist or neurologist.

Arkansas’ medical marijuana amendment contains a long list of qualifying conditions for which a person can use marijuana, including post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer’s.

Under current law, any physician can certify a patient to use marijuana for PTSD or Alzheimer’s regardless of the physician’s training and experience with mental health.

H.B. 1566 would require the doctor to be a board-certified psychiatrist or neurologist in order to write a marijuana certification for these mental illnesses.

It would not stop other physicians from writing marijuana certifications for other qualifying conditions.

This bill will protect mental health patients from receiving an inappropriate certification to use marijuana.

Last year an Arkansas abortionist drew attention for inappropriately certifying a 12-year-old psychiatric patient to use medical marijuana.

When the girl’s psychiatrists learned the abortionist had certified their patient to use marijuana, they filed a complaint with the Arkansas State Medical Board.

An Expert Reviewer’s Report requested by the medical board concluded that the doctor acted in a grossly negligent manner in diagnosing the child and certifying her to use medical marijuana.

The Arkansas State Medical Board suspended the abortionist’s medical license in August. In December the board reinstated his license on the condition that he not certify minors to use medical marijuana.

A cannabis clinic in Heber Springs has issued statements saying that H.B. 1566 “will destroy the ARMMJ [Arkansas Medical Marijuana] program.”

But anyone who understands the bill knows this is not true. You can read H.B. 1566 here.

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