Parents must fight for local cannabis control
Along time ago, in a place far, far away, an emperor became worried about the youth in his country, who were becoming addicted to a mind-altering drug. The Opium Wars were fought over this drug.
Today, many experts believe we have legalized a drug whose properties may have an effect on our youth akin to that which roiled the Emperor Daoguang more than two centuries ago. Marijuana, though not as potent as opium, has significant effects on the immature brain.
Brain maturity is not attained until somewhere in the early to mid-20s, yet marijuana is legal in California for recreational use by persons 21 and older. Unfortunately, the law cannot prevent exposure in younger individuals. For this reason, the American Academy of Pediatrics has come out with a report to help health care providers advise parents and teens. It states: Long- or short-term marijuana use by adolescents impairs short-term memory and decreases concentration, attention span and problemsolving skills. There are also alterations in motor control, judgment, reaction time and tracking ability — skills critical to the safe operation of a motor vehicle.
As worrisome as the effects of marijuana on a student’s high school success are, a parent’s greatest fear during the teen years is probably not the lack of an acceptance letter to Harvard, Yale or Princeton. It is that late-night call from the police that an accident has happened.
Also consider: A 25-year study of 4,000 young adults using marijuana showed lower scores on verbal memory even after controlling for many factors such as other drug and alcohol use, psychiatric conditions and demographic factors. The National Institutes of Health note that individuals who carry a variant of the AKT1 gene are at a significantly increased risk of developing psychosis with daily marijuana use compared with those who use marijuana rarely or not at all.
California cities are deciding now whether to license a pot shop or two. Local control allows parents more power over what their kids will be tempted by. Yet Gov. Jerry Brown favors merging medical marijuana laws approved by the Legislature in 2015 with the recreational cannabis initiative approved by voters in 2016. This would streamline the production and distribution of the drug and eliminate local regulation.
Marijuana has lost its stigma in California. We cannot reasonably expect that teens and certainly young adults will forgo use. The big question for parents, then, will be about use. Do you know if your child has the AKT1 gene? Better find out, because Gov. Brown’s proposed merger of the 2015 medical cannabis law and Proposition 64 may result in loss of local control of where and how marijuana is marketed.