Earlier this fall, Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory on the dangers of marijuana, especially for young people and pregnant women. “Recent increases in access to marijuana and in its potency, along with misperceptions of safety of marijuana endanger our most precious resource, our nation’s youth,” Adams stated. The health risks detailed here by the Surgeon General are some of the principal reasons Minnesota Family Council opposes recreational marijuana legalization in Minnesota.

In his advisory, Surgeon General Adams states,

No amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or adolescence is known to be safe. Until and unless more is known about the long-term impact, the safest choice for pregnant women and adolescents is not to use marijuana.  Pregnant women and youth--and those who love them--need the facts and resources to support healthy decisions. It is critical to educate women and youth, as well as family members, school officials, state and local leaders, and health professionals, about the risks of marijuana, particularly as more states contemplate legalization.

The HHS advisory emphasizes that marijuana is becoming more dangerous, with the THC concentration in commonly cultivated marijuana tripling in the past two decades. The report notes that higher doses of THC have a higher likelihood of producing anxiety, agitation, paranoia, and psychosis, and that the increasing availability of edible marijuana, which takes longer to absorb, increases the risk of unintentional overdose among users, as well as accidental ingestion by children. 

“Some states’ laws in marijuana may have changed, but the science has not…The science suggests that it carries more risk than ever,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar in today’s press conference.

This is an especially timely reminder, considering that Governor Walz recently announced his intentions to support legalization of marijuana if it passes in the legislature next session, and ordered state agencies to prepare for legalization.

In recent years, as states have pushed to legalize marijuana, perception of its risks among high schoolers has steadily declined, and use of marijuana among adolescents has increased. This is cause for concern, considering that nearly one in five people who begin marijuana use in adolescence become addicted. 

Legalization of marijuana sends a clear message, especially to young people, that marijuana is safe. This simply isn’t true.