New Changes In Marijuantana

As of Jan 1, 2022, medical and recreational marijuana use is legal in Montana for people over 21. Since weed/pot/cannabis is now in similar standing to alcohol, updated marijuana education and understanding of responsible consumption is needed.

People use cannabis - including kids in rural areas. Forty-seven percent of Valley County high schoolers have tried marijuana at least once, but only 23 percent could be described as current users.

Cannabis sativa has been in use medically and recreationally for thousands of years and has been introduced across the world. The primary psychoactive compound in cannabis is THC, as opposed to CBD which has a physiological effect often attributed to addressing aches and pain. Marijuana impacts brain structures responsible for memory and active cognition, like the hippocampus and frontal lobe. The short-term effects of cannabis use include dampened cognitive performance, attention span, memory, coordinated movement, and a distorted sense of time. Long-term use interferes with brain development and having a clear head. The frontal lobe regulates executive function, including logical thought and impulse control. Damage and delayed development are linked to struggling with emotional decision making, risk-taking behavior, and prolonged immaturity.

Present research shows harm reduction techniques and education as more effective than abstinence only strategies. The abstinence only approach is unhelpful, regardless of personal beliefs or choices. It in fact increases risks present when experimentation does occur.

It is true that, for adults, taking extended breaks (greater than two weeks) from cannabis use can alleviate symptoms of chronic use like brain fog, forgetfulness, and low energy. However, that recovery does not fully apply to the adolescent brain. In a 2015 study, adolescent-limited and late-onset users reported more problems with functioning during use and improvement at the beginning of desistance. Using drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, undeniably causes even more damage to the developing brain than that of an adult. Minimizing the duration and severity of use allows the brain to recover to some degree. Brain development settles around 25 years old, so the medical suggestion is to limit exposure before 16 or even 21 years old.

Depending on quantity, concentration, and intake method, cannabis highs may last a matter of hours. As always, one is responsible for themselves and their impact on their surroundings. For the self, consider your health in relation to your age. Even limiting use to adolescent years is linked to lower economic and educational outcomes. Physiological withdrawal is not the only driving force of addiction. Behavioral or psychological addiction gives credit to the power of routine, habits, and associations one has with a substance.

Common uses for marijuana include stress and anxiety relief. These are valid uses but work best in combination with other stress reduction techniques. When used as a sole strategy, the person is at greater risk for psychological dependence because they feel and believe that they need cannabis to function.

Someone’s impact on their surroundings could be applied to parents or other guardians. There’s the obvious concern of worsened attention span and working memory when directly looking after kids, i.e., giving proper care and attention. Beyond that, kids learn so much from the adults in their lives- more than we’d know. The first exposure many kids have to substances, like alcohol and tobacco, is through their caregivers. That’s when ‘normal’ intake habits and behavior are conceptualized. Caregivers understand their responsibilities include talking to and educating their kids about drugs and alcohol.

Including a “do as I say, not as I do” clause in those talks doesn’t change the contradictory environment for the child.

Modeling responsible marijuana use in tandem with clear education on the risks of early or chronic use on developing minds is crucial in delaying, if not preventing, underage use. Research has shown that regular underage use increases neurocognitive changes that persist into adulthood, even when limited to adolescence. We all know tobacco/vape fumes are bad in the environment, and the Clean Air Act now includes cannabis smoke.

Young kids can’t give informed consent to be around weed or remove themselves from the environment. Being inebriated in any way interferes with the adult’s ability to watch over kids and young people and provide care. Being thoughtful about personal use when around kids should be considered common sense.

If you are concerned about your own or another’s substance use, talk about it and remember there are resources available to reduce, reframe, or recover from use.

If you’d like to share a story of resilience around behavioral health, consider submitting an anonymous entry to Stories from the Strong at valleycarecoalition.com.