Children whose mothers consume marijuana are more likely to try it younger

According to a new study by Harvard T.H. When mothers consume marijuana in the first 12 years of their children's lives, their children who use cannabis are more likely to start earlier than children of non-consuming mothers. Chan School of Public Health published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. This study is the first to establish a relationship between maternal cannabis use in the child's lifetime and previous initiation in a nationally representative longitudinal cohort and to examine the role of race, sex and other social environmental factors.

"Early initiation is one of the strongest predictors of the health consequences of marijuana use." In a changing regulatory environment, adult marijuana use is becoming more prescriptive, leading to a better understanding of social risk factors The introduction of maternal cannabis use in our understanding of important risk factors for early initiation can help us better identify at-risk youth for more appropriate or intensive prevention strategies, "said the researcher. Principal Natasha A. Sokol, ScD, currently of the Center for Studies on Alcohol and Drug Addiction, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA -United.

The researchers analyzed two related cohorts from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (waves from 1980-1998) and children and young adults (waves from 1988 to 2014) to assess the timing and extent of the use and initiation of the mother and the child. They evaluated data on 4,440 children and 2,586 mothers as to the effect of maternal marijuana use between birth and age of 12 on the subsequent initiation of marijuana, in taking into account potentially important factors related to behavior and cognition and social environment. A total of 2,983 children (67.2%) and 1,053 mothers (35.3%) identified themselves as cannabis users. The investigators found that children whose mothers had used marijuana were at increased risk of initiation of marijuana before the age of 17 and started at age 16, compared to 18 at the age of 17. non-users. -Hispanic non-black children.

Although it is generally thought that marijuana is less harmful than other drugs, the likelihood of having health effects associated with marijuana use is closely related to the age at which it is sold. 39; initiation. Negative consequences may be particularly pronounced for children and adolescents during these developmentally critical ages. Cannabis use in children and adolescents is associated with attention, concentration, decision-making and working memory disorders and increased impulsivity that may persist for weeks after use. In cannabis users, early initiation is associated with an increased risk of anxiety and depressive disorders.

The United States is undergoing a radical change around marijuana. This cultural shift is expected to increase the prevalence, frequency, visibility and / or acceptability of marijuana use among adults. Understanding the impact of parents' use on early initiation to marijuana is an important step in anticipating the ways in which social environmental changes can alter the burden of marijuana-related disease on the states. -United.

The results indicate that children of parents using marijuana could be an important subgroup for identification and early evidence-based intervention by pediatricians and adolescent health care providers. Although future research on the mechanisms behind this relationship is needed before more specific recommendations can be made, marijuana prescribers and other physicians could educate marijuana-consuming parents and provide them with evidence-based preventive strategies. to delay the children Other research could seek to understand the best practices to prevent early initiation, such as decrease or pause, reduce the visibility of the use until the older children and provide training, tools and resources to address these issues.

"Cannabis has recognized therapeutic benefits for treating a number of different medical conditions.There is also evidence that the availability of legal medical and recreational cannabis could reduce deaths from opioid overdose." The arrests of cannabis represent more half of the arrests of and possession of cannabis is a major factor in racial disparities in arrest and incarceration.For these reasons, the total ban on cannabis may not match the objectives public health, be an important but undervalued public health goal, "commented Dr. Sokol.

Explore more:
Marijuana can lead nonsmokers to smoke

More information:
American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2018). DOI: 10.1016 / j.amepre.2018.06.023