Group Of Pediatricians Urges Government To Protect Young People When Recreational Marijuana Is Legalized

The plan to legalize recreational marijuana next year has earned different responses from health experts. The Canadian Pediatric Society is urging the federal government to take the necessary steps to protect the children and discourage its use among the youth.

According to CBC News, the statement released on Thursday recommended that there be an age restriction for the purchase of pot and that the ingredient in cannabis that causes people to get high also be restricted in products sold to young people.

"We want to ensure that sales of cannabis products are prohibited to all youth under the legal age for buying tobacco and alcohol, so 18 or 19, depending on their location in Canada," said Dr. Christine Grant, an adolescent medicine specialist at McMaster University who co-authored the CPS position paper. "And importantly, we want the government to strongly consider limiting the concentration of THC in cannabis that 18- to 25-year-olds can purchase legally."

The society emphasized a 2010 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) that suggests about 30 percent of Canadian youth has tried cannabis at least once by age 15, which is the highest among 43 countries and regions in Europe and North America.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive component of marijuana. CTV News Toronto reported that Grant said young adults frequently experiment with marijuana. "By aligning the legal age for cannabis use with that for other legally controlled substances, young adults will have access to a regulated product, with a known potency. They'll also be less likely to engage in high-risk illegal activities to access cannabis," she continued.

Meanwhile, Dr. Grant also said that there are many risks that accompany the use of recreational marijuana among young people including deleterious effects on the developing brain.

"We know that our brains develop well into our 20s and also from science that cannabis has an effect both structurally and functionally on our brains and that when our brains are developing we're most vulnerable," Grant said Wednesday from Hamilton. "So by limiting concentrations of THC up until 25, we're hoping we can mitigate some of the risks."

It is also important to note that according to research, regular use of pot can lead to one in six youth developing a psychiatric diagnosis known as cannabis-use dependency. This can significantly hinder with young people's everyday life, including their schooling, relationships and interest in social activities like sports.

Reducing or trying to quit weed altogether can result in withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, anger, agitation and difficulty in sleeping. Physical symptoms may manifest as digestive system upset, fever, chills and headaches.

However, the thing that most concerns Dr. Grant is that heavy or regular pot-smoking can in some cases cause psychotic events, such as depersonalization, losing touch with reality and experiencing visual and auditory hallucinations.