Risks to Colorado youth from using marijuana are considerable yet perception of risks remain low. Only 44.8% of Colorado adolescents surveyed in recently released Colorado Healthy Kids Survey believe consuming marijuana presents a great risk. In a recent national survey, 60% of high school seniors said they thought marijuana was harmless. Meanwhile, a growing number of studies show that marijuana changes the structure of the teenage brain, impacts cognition and academic performance and can lead to permanent declines in IQ. The fact that Colorado’s marijuana is super strong only exacerbates risks for Colorado youth. As THC, the mind altering chemical found in marijuana reaches record high levels, Colorado’s marijuana is a stronger and harder drug. For more information read the article below from The Denver Post discussing how unsafe pot is for the developing teenage brain.
Pot unsafe for teen and young adult brains under construction
By Electa Draper
The Denver Post
Even moderate marijuana use among teens and young people was shown in a study this year to cause abnormalities in the developing brain. Yet as Colorado and other states legalize recreational pot use, the public perception is that it is generally safe.
A nationwide NBC/Wall Street Journal poll in March found that most people thought that alcohol, tobacco and sugar are more harmful to a person’s health than smoking pot.
“If there is an increasing perception it’s harmless — cognitively, physically and socially — use is eventually going to track with that,” said Ashley Brooks-Russell, assistant professor with the Colorado School of Public Health at University of Colorado Denver.