Healthy Cattaraugus County: Marijuana Position Paper
Healthy Cattaraugus County: drug free coalition (HCC) has two primary goals. The first is to increase community collaboration, and the second is to reduce youth substance use in Cattaraugus County with a focus on alcohol and marijuana. With the recent Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA) in New York State that has legalized marijuana use for adults, the coalition feels that it is important to officially share our position on the topic. First, the members and partners of HCC will continue to support the promotion of safe and healthy living for our youth. We will also continue to educate on the laws in reference to the fact that as with alcohol, marijuana will remain illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase or possess. The coalition understands that as the governing body named as New York State Office of Cannabis Management continues to develop additional guidance, rules, and regulations, there may be opportunities to provide additional outreach as to how youth may be impacted.
The Potential Impact of Marijuana on Local Youth
The human brain is not fully developed until about age 25 (NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse). Youth who use marijuana risk damage to their brain that could be irreversible such as a decrease in IQ (NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse). Youth who use also run the risk of developing anxiety or depression and other mental health disorders such as schizophrenia for those who are already genetically predisposed to the condition (NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse). Further, the younger a person is when they begin using marijuana, the more likely they are to develop a marijuana use disorder (NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse). A marijuana use disorder is when a person must use increasing or large amounts of the substance in order to feel its effects. The person becomes dependent on the substance and if they suddenly stopped using it, would experience the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms. Their use may also begin to interfere with other parts of their daily life as they focus most of their attention on “getting high” (obtaining and using the substance).
It is also important to understand that adult-use legalization leads to “normalization” (Fiala, 2020). What this means is that repeated exposure through advertising, product placement in stores, and adult use all promotes a concept that the substance is not as harmful (Fiala, 2020). In the 2019 Prevention Needs Assessment Survey of students in Cattaraugus County grades 6-12, it was found that only 47% of youth perceive that marijuana is harmful and 27% say that it would be easy to get marijuana in their neighborhood. HCC will educate on the harmful effects of marijuana on the developing brain and will provide community-wide education on the legal consequences of selling or providing marijuana to anyone under 21. Dispensaries that sell marijuana to minors can face loss of their license and adults in general who sell or provide marijuana to minors can face criminal penalties (https://cannabis.ny.gov/adult-use). Adults who cultivate cannabis plants in their home must ensure that they are secure and inaccessible to anyone under 21 (https://cannabis.ny.gov/adult-use). Finally, being under the influence of marijuana impairs a person’s ability to operate a motor vehicle. Other states such as Washington who have legalized marijuana have seen increases in the number of motor vehicle fatalities in which the person was found to have THC in their system (AAA).
Proposed Resolutions
References
AAA. (2020 January). Cannabis use among drivers in fatal crashes in Washington state before
and after legalization, https://aaafoundation.org/cannabis-use-among-drivers-in-fatal-crashes-in-washington-state-before-and-after-legalization/
Bach Harrison. (2019). New York Prevention Needs Assessment Survey [Cattaraugus County
Survey Results].
Fiala, S. C., Dilley, J. A., Everson, E. M., Firth, C. L., Maher, J. E. (2020). Youth exposure to
marijuana advertising in Oregon’s legal retail marijuana market. Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice, and Policy, 17(E110), 1-13
NIDA. (2020, July). Is marijuana addictive? https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive
NIDA. (2020, July). Is there a link between marijuana use and psychiatric disorders?
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/there-link-between-marijuana-use-psychiatric-disorders\
The Potential Impact of Marijuana on Local Youth
The human brain is not fully developed until about age 25 (NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse). Youth who use marijuana risk damage to their brain that could be irreversible such as a decrease in IQ (NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse). Youth who use also run the risk of developing anxiety or depression and other mental health disorders such as schizophrenia for those who are already genetically predisposed to the condition (NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse). Further, the younger a person is when they begin using marijuana, the more likely they are to develop a marijuana use disorder (NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse). A marijuana use disorder is when a person must use increasing or large amounts of the substance in order to feel its effects. The person becomes dependent on the substance and if they suddenly stopped using it, would experience the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms. Their use may also begin to interfere with other parts of their daily life as they focus most of their attention on “getting high” (obtaining and using the substance).
It is also important to understand that adult-use legalization leads to “normalization” (Fiala, 2020). What this means is that repeated exposure through advertising, product placement in stores, and adult use all promotes a concept that the substance is not as harmful (Fiala, 2020). In the 2019 Prevention Needs Assessment Survey of students in Cattaraugus County grades 6-12, it was found that only 47% of youth perceive that marijuana is harmful and 27% say that it would be easy to get marijuana in their neighborhood. HCC will educate on the harmful effects of marijuana on the developing brain and will provide community-wide education on the legal consequences of selling or providing marijuana to anyone under 21. Dispensaries that sell marijuana to minors can face loss of their license and adults in general who sell or provide marijuana to minors can face criminal penalties (https://cannabis.ny.gov/adult-use). Adults who cultivate cannabis plants in their home must ensure that they are secure and inaccessible to anyone under 21 (https://cannabis.ny.gov/adult-use). Finally, being under the influence of marijuana impairs a person’s ability to operate a motor vehicle. Other states such as Washington who have legalized marijuana have seen increases in the number of motor vehicle fatalities in which the person was found to have THC in their system (AAA).
Proposed Resolutions
- Regulations on safety and child proof packaging and storage are important as data has shown that other states who have legalized adult-use marijuana have seen increases in Emergency Room visits and calls to the Poison Control Center regarding young children who have accidentally ingested products containing THC.
- Edibles should be clearly marked and not in packaging that resembles candy that a child would consume.
- All packaging and signage should contain a universal symbol and wording that alerts that the product contains THC.
- All marijuana products should not exceed a predetermined maximum dosage of THC.
References
AAA. (2020 January). Cannabis use among drivers in fatal crashes in Washington state before
and after legalization, https://aaafoundation.org/cannabis-use-among-drivers-in-fatal-crashes-in-washington-state-before-and-after-legalization/
Bach Harrison. (2019). New York Prevention Needs Assessment Survey [Cattaraugus County
Survey Results].
Fiala, S. C., Dilley, J. A., Everson, E. M., Firth, C. L., Maher, J. E. (2020). Youth exposure to
marijuana advertising in Oregon’s legal retail marijuana market. Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice, and Policy, 17(E110), 1-13
NIDA. (2020, July). Is marijuana addictive? https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive
NIDA. (2020, July). Is there a link between marijuana use and psychiatric disorders?
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/there-link-between-marijuana-use-psychiatric-disorders\