“The perception is that marijuana is safe to use, but we need to educate parents and children that there are risks involved, especially with high and high potential cannabis use,” said study author Cynthia Fontanella, an assistant professor in the psychiatry department. and behavioral health at Ohio State University College of Medicine.
“And clinicians need to step in to identify and treat the disorder of cannabis use, as well as children with mood disorders,” Fontanella said.
“People who start using marijuana before the age of 18 are four to seven times more likely to develop a marijuana use disorder than adults,” NIDA recommends. About 4 million people in the United States met the diagnostic criteria for a marijuana use disorder in 2015, NIDA estimates.
The first study in children
The new study used data from Ohio Medicare to identify both cannabis use disorder and self-harm attempts and outcomes in young people between the ages of 10 and 24. The study could only show an association between cannabis addiction and negative outcomes, not a direct cause and effect.
Previous studies show that children with mood disorders are very likely to use and abuse marijuana, Fontanella said, in part because they don’t like the side effects of many prescription drugs.
“Mood stabilizers and psychotic medications can cause weight gain, say up to 30 or 40 kilograms … stiffness in the neck or eyes … and can cause sedation,” Fontanella said. “Therefore, they may not use their medications and self-medicate with cannabis to treat mood disorders.”
However, the use of weeds may contribute to the development of mood disorders.
“Research shows that cannabis use is associated with the early onset of mood disorders, psychosis and anxiety disorders, so it can lead to severe mental illness,” Fontanella said.
However, at the moment, science is not sure which is the first, partly because few studies have been done, if any, on adolescents and young people.
“Research suggests that exposure to marijuana influences the brain’s ability to process emotions. Could it interact in a harmful way with the developing brain?” said Dr. Lucien Gonzalez, who chairs the committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics for substance use and prevention. Gonzalez was not involved in the study.
“It doesn’t show that cannabis use causes depression or self-harm, but it doesn’t rule it out,” said Gonzalez, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine.
“It seems that there are complicated associations and we just don’t fully understand them,” Gonzalez said.
While science is solving the answers, “family-based models and individual approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy,” have been effective in treating young people with marijuana use disorders, Fontanella and her team said. They also requested the launch a national study to further examine mortality risks for young and young adults struggling with overuse of weeds.