Doctors caution marijuana-using Patients against their children

In the process of bringing sanity to the cannabis industry, doctors advise the masses that parenting and marijuana cannot mix. Various states are decriminalizing recreational weed in the U.S. and parents are considering using it in their homes. However, they are facing the question of whether they should smoke marijuana in the presence of their children. While some parents are very strict and wouldn’t smoke pot in the presence of their children, some may need direction on how to go about that.  California passed recreational marijuana laws during the 2016 elections through the passing of proposition 64. Adults aged 21 years and above in California can now use weed as provided under these laws. Even with these laws, doctors are making calls to all parents to make sure that marijuana is kept out of the reach of children. The laws still provide for the same. Even when a medical marijuana patient is taking his or her medication, it should not be in the presence of children. Therefore, caution should be exercised when using marijuana for whatever reasons. Furthermore, weed still remains illegal at the federal level in the United States.

Children are protected by the federal and state laws as far as the use of marijuana is concerned. Dr. Karen Wilson, a pediatrician who is also the main author of a research showing that children tend to absorb chemicals from secondhand weed smoke is one of the people concerned with this recent turn of events. Children who were exposed to marijuana smoke were found with weed metabolites in their urine. The research work involved 43 children sourced from Colorado State, which has also decriminalized marijuana. Children between the ages of 1month – 2 years were taken to hospital for bronchiolitis complications. The samples of urine were taken to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that used a highly sensitive experiment that can spot very low degrees of cannabis metabolites. It was found that 16% of the general samples tested positive.  For the children who were reportedly exposed to cannabis use, 75% had had weed traces in their urine.

There is a strong relationship between those who claimed that there was an individual in the home who used pot or a caretaker who used cannabis and the child having pot levels that are detectable. All the same, there is not enough evidence to prove that there is health risks linked to secondhand cannabis smoke or vapor. Despite that, there are signs that it could lead to problems. Some research shows that even the low THC concentrations can lead to developmental issues for young babies whose mothers used cannabis during the pregnancy period. Other studies also show that weed use in adolescence can affect the developing brain of the teenage and cause issues related to memory, attention and motivation. Based on these studies, doctors hypothesize that marijuana is not good for children whose body parts are still developing. Again, the doctors are committed to research on the issue of secondhand cannabis exposure and establish its effect on children.

This trend of parents using marijuana around their children continues to worry doctors in the weed-friendly States. Now that marijuana is legal in more than 50% of the states in the U.S., parents need to be very careful when using this substance at home. Medical marijuana patients are also not exempted from this caution. Marijuana is “marijuana”, despite the use for which it is intended. Therefore, all users must be careful on how they conduct themselves in the company of children. There are some users with claims that marijuana smoke is safer than that of tobacco. However, this is not correct. There are no tangible reasons to act as proof to this assertion. Therefore, let the children stay safe.

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