Pubdate: Tue, 03 Feb 2015
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2015 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Rachel O'Bryan
Note: Rachel O'Bryan served on a committee of Gov. John 
Hickenlooper's Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force.

STOP MAKING OUR KIDS LAB RATS FOR POT

Repeat after me: "Marijuana is bad for adolescents and young adults." 
See, that wasn't so hard.

But it was for Colorado. Last summer, the state released its first 
public education campaign in the post-marijuana legalization era. It 
came up with the slogan "Don't Be a Lab Rat." The entire campaign was 
premised on "some people question this research." It suggested that 
the jury is still out, that the risks to teenagers are unknown.

Critics of the campaign claimed it was simply a scare tactic. Really? 
Nothing was scary about this wishy-washy message about adolescent and 
young adult marijuana use, other than it ignored the truth. The 
message "Marijuana is harmful ... maybe ... we're not sure" seems 
more likely to achieve the opposite effect than what is intended. 
Unfortunately, teens might conclude, if the state can't even say for 
sure that it's bad, then it must be OK. In fact, from 2011 to 2013, 
the percentage of Colorado high schoolers that perceive moderate or 
great risk from regular marijuana use decreased from 57.6 percent to 
54 percent, according to the 2013 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey.

Last Friday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment 
submitted a report to the Colorado General Assembly, "Monitoring 
Health Concerns Related to Marijuana in Colorado: 2014." The report 
is based on nine months of work by the Retail Marijuana Public Health 
Advisory Committee and raises red flags for anyone who cares about 
Colorado's future and the academic potential, mental health and 
workforce-readiness of Colorado's youth. It should also make the 
state rethink its approach to marijuana education.

The panel made two clear public health statements:

1. Regular marijuana use by adolescents and young adults is 
associated with impaired learning, memory, math and reading 
achievement, even 28 days after last use. These impairments increase 
with more frequent marijuana use.

2. Regular marijuana use by adolescents and young adults is strongly 
associated with developing psychotic symptoms and disorders such as 
schizophrenia in adulthood. This risk is higher among those who start 
using marijuana at a younger age and is higher with more frequent 
marijuana use.

Colorado has begun a new $ 5.7 million public awareness campaign, 
"Good to Know," focused on responsible use by adults. Messages 
directed at Colorado youth are on hold. Colorado needs a public 
education campaign that stresses the real and known dangers from 
early marijuana use.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom