ScienceNews - The teen brain is especially susceptible to the harms of THC

According to an article by Aimee Cunningham, with Science News, marijuana products nowadays are extremely more potent than in the past. She describes how many parents may think that marijuana is not such a big deal for kids to use because back in their day the potency of the THC content was low. According to the article, "In 1995, the total percent of THC by weight of marijuana plant material was around 4 percent; now marijuana with a THC potency of 20 percent or more is available. Trouncing that are concentrated cannabis products, including wax, budder and shatter, which can have a THC potency as high was 95%." (Cunningham, 2024)

This elevated content of THC brings even greater risks of addiction and negative effects to the user. Not only does marijuana cause greater mental illness issues, but it can destroy the users life and snuff out the possibility for greatness. Research has shown, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, that marijuana effects the users natural brain development, causing impaired memory and learning functions. This is especially true for teens and young adults.

Cunningham goes on stating: "Studies in animals have found that exposure to THC in adolescence can reduce CB1 receptors in the brain and lead to long-lasting problems with memory and learning. One of the areas the psychoactive chemical alters is the prefrontal cortex, which matured during adolescence and is integral to problem-solving and emotional regulation. In adolescent rats injected with THC, nerve cell protrusions that connect with other nerve cells were prematurely cut back, disrupting the circuitry of the prefrontal cortex, Hurt and colleagues reported in Molecular Psychiatry in 2019." (Cunningham, 2024)

Just ONE life destroyed at the hands of marijuana (i.e. as seen at https://johnnysambassadors.org/) is enough for us to say NO we do not want pot! We value each and every life, and we refuse to stand by while the proposition of allowing recreational marijuana sales in our community is being pushed forward.

Marijuana is a toxic plague to society that we do NOT want in our community! We must not back down from the pressures of the world around us, but stand strong to protect our children, our homes, and our freedom. Vote DO NOT ALLOW in the upcoming advisory vote on allowing recreational cannabis sales within West Richland City Limits.

References

Cunningham, A. (2024, February 7). How does THC affect teens’ mental health? Science News. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cannabis-high-thc-teen-mental-health

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2024, March 21). Cannabis (marijuana) Drugfacts. National Institutes of Health. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/cannabis-marijuana