♪ ♪
Hi, I am Campbell Baron
and today I am going to talk
to you about
Marijuana...again.
♪ ♪
Reporter: Justin Trudeau is
 promising to legalize
 marijuana but
 the question is:
What will be the legal
age to obtain it?
Woman's voice: As a society we
 need to become better educated.
Baron: On October 17th 2018
recreational marijuana
will be legalized in Canada,
but you already know that
because you watched
this video...
Okay, so as long as
I have been alive,
using marijuana recreationally
and not for medical reasons
has been a crime.
This is
Marijuana - Part 2.
But if you haven't seen
Marijuana - Part 1,
watch that first,
then come back.
This video is going
to highlight a few
of the health concerns
around marijuana use.
How does smoking
pot affect
a young person's health
and physical well being?
That's what many
experts have been asking.
And that's what
I want to know.
The legal age
to buy, use, possess,
and grow
marijuana is 19
in every province except
Alberta and Québec,
where the age
drops to 18.
And while that might
sound reasonable -
after all it does line up
with legal drinking age -
many doctors have
expressed concerns
that ages 18 and 19
are too young.
Doctors and scientists
say that cannabis can
seriously affect
your brain,
while it's
still developing.
I'm Diane Kelsall,
I'm a family physician
and interim
editor-in-chief for
Canadian Medical
Association Journal.
♪ ♪
Thank you for taking
the time to talk to me.
 What are some of the negative
 side effects of
using marijuana repeatedly
under age 25.
We do know that
the brain develops
till about
the age of 25.
When they look at the brains,
they looked at the brains
of people who used cannabis
versus people who didn't,
they actually saw physical
changes in the brain.
We know that cannabis
can effect mood.
We know that it
effect motivations.
If you start using as an
adolescent you can anticipate
that about 1 in 6
will become dependant.
The human brain isn't fully
developed until age 25.
Some studies suggest
that marijuana use
at least 10 times a month,
by users under age 25,
could lead to some
changes in the brain
affecting memory
and the ability to plan.
And some studies
also show how
these changes could
be permanent.
But permanent slowing of your
brains functions is not
the only side
effect linked with
consistent cannabis
use before age 25.
Certainly if you are at risk
of mental health disorders -
either by your family
or past history -
there's an increased chance
that you will have something
like psychosis
or schizophrenia.
These are two things that
have been shown to be
associated with
cannabis use.
Then there's
another thing,
there are still some experts
and healthcare workers
that worry that to know
something is legal
makes it okay in
a teen's mind.
And that,
that can be bad
for kids who don't know
all the side effects.
And some of these side effects
last a really long time.
One of my concerns is
that by legalizing it,
it may send a message
to people that,
"Hey, it's really fine.
It's okay."
And we know that
it's not.
I guess a question that
I think about a lot is -
these seem like some pretty
heavy side effects.
Do you think the government
is aware of this?
They're
absolutely aware.
What do you think the minimum
age should be to use Marijuana?
I do think it
would have been
a better choice
to have gone with 21.
What would your advice be or
guidance to people who are
of legal age and plan
on using marijuana
when it becomes
legalized?
Good question.
I think what I would
say to them is,
"Minimize the use
you have."
Like it or not, change
has come to Canada.
And whether that change has
positive or negative effect,
we'll have
to wait and see.
But as long as grown-ups are
talking about marijuana
it's still a good idea
for kids to stay plugged in.
So, what do
you think?
Email us at:
 cbckidsnews@cbc.ca.
and let us know.
I am Campbell Baron
for CBC Kids News.
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