With marijuana now legal for recreation or medical use in a majority of states—and access and attitudes toward it relaxing as a result—a new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical report in the March 2017 Pediatrics equips doctors to advise patients and parents about harms the drug can cause, particularly for teens.
The report, "Counseling Parents and Teens About Marijuana Use in the Era of Legalization of Marijuana" (published online Feb. 27), highlights the dangers of a climate in which the drug increasingly is seen as acceptable, safe and therapeutic.
Currently, 29 states and the District of Columbia allow medical or recreational marijuana use. Although the laws are aimed at adults over age 21, the increased availability of marijuana in the community can create short- and long-term harm to youths, according to the AAP.
