Medical Marijuana May Pose Risk to Teens




RadioMD (All Shows) show

Summary: Does always having access to a drug, even though it's for medicinal purposes, increase the risk of addiction?Within the past few years, medical marijuana has been made legal in several states. Even though research has shown the many benefits to medical marijuana, some parents worry that if their teens have legal permission to use medical marijuana, it could increase the risk of addiction. Researchers from the University of Michigan looked at 4,400 high school seniors, 48 who had medical marijuana cards, 266 who used someone else's medical marijuana card, and those who bought marijuana from street dealers. Researchers found that the teens who used medical marijuana were more likely to have problems with addiction. What does this tell us about medical marijuana and teens' access to it? Listen in as one of the authors of the study, Dr. Carol Boyd, explains how medical marijuana could increase the risk of addiction in teenagers.