Today, Governor Gavin Newsom directed the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to issue notices addressing the sale and distribution of illegal hemp products. These notices seek to ensure compliance with existing law to protect Californians, particularly youth, from mislabeled and potentially harmful hemp-infused products.
Marijuana is especially dangerous when used by people under age 25 whose brains are still developing. CUD can literally rewire the brains of young people, with disastrous long-term results.
Three facts about marijuana:
- In the 1990s, the average THC concentration of marijuana in the U.S. was about 4 percent. (THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive part of the cannabis plant.) By 2018, average THC concentration had nearly quadrupled to more than 15 percent.
- Research has shown that people who start using marijuana before age 18 are four to seven times more likely to develop CUD.
- Marijuana has the potential to “switch on” certain genes that can lead to schizophrenia in young people. Males are at a higher risk for this than females, but it happens in both genders.
The Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM (ABCD) Study is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, April 2, 2024: “Youth Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from the ABCD Study®.”
This webinar will summarize data from the ABCD Study on the relationships among COVID-19 experiences and youth health and behavior.
Over 20 State Attorney General's sent a letter to the Committee on Agriculture, explaining how "bad actors" are exploiting the 2018 Farm bills definition of hemp. "Regardless of your Committees' intentions, the reality is that this law has unleashed on our states a flood of products that are nothing less than a more potent form of cannabis - with staggering levels of potency, no regulation, no oversight, and limited capability of our offices to rein them in."
Last portion of the ABC 10 news series on marijuana and public health. We are so proud of our Key leadership team, San Diego prevention system, families and Jim Avila for his tenacity. This part focuses on packaging and legislation geared towards limiting marijuana products that appeal to youth. Our YouTube page has a link to all 3 parts.