U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently made a statement about the harm of youth marijuana use:

"When it comes to youth, I worry that there is a perception that marijuana is completely harmless in children. Our data tells us otherwise. Our data tells that in fact a portion, a substantial minority, of people who use marijuana will actually develop an addiction to marijuana. That number is significantly higher among youth. When kids also have underlying mental health conditions, the impact of marijuana use can also be more significant. And, so, I worry about the messages we may send that say this is ‘utterly harmless’ and ‘there’s no problem here.' We need to be responsible in how we teach our kids about marijuana. I think how we talk to families about marijuana use and I think health care providers also need to be empowered to have these conversations early on as well as teachers." 

New Jersey’s legalization of the recreational use of marijuana could affect how today’s youth perceive the substance. It is important that we ensure youth and their families understand the dangers that are associated with marijuana use among adolescents.   

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Studies have shown that marijuana appears to affect teens’ brain development, altering it in ways that could diminish their reasoning, decision-making and memory skills as they age. Brain scans of approximately 800 teenagers found that those who use marijuana tended to have an increased thinning of the cerebral cortex — the outer layer of the brain responsible for thought, perception and language.

We need to send a unified message that differences exist between adolescent and fully developed adult brains, and marijuana use can be very dangerous for an adolescent brain. Last year, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey media campaign focused on this issue and if you would like to access these important prevention messages, please visit our Awareness Toolkit.  The campaign elements are customizable to your organization’s needs. As always, please visit drugfreenj.org to learn more.