In the special public health announcement hosted live in Facebook and Twitter, Surgeon General Adams spoke with mental health and pediatric experts about the effects of marijuana use in adolescents and pregnant mothers as it pertains to effects on the developing brain. In tandem, the Surgeon General released an advisory emphasizing the harms of marijuana use in adolescents and pregnant women due to increases in overall use as well as increases in THC potency across the country.
“There is a false perception that marijuana is not as harmful as other drugs. I want to be very clear – no amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or adolescence is known to be safe,” said Surgeon General Adams.
While both Secretary Azar and Surgeon General Adams said that HHS supports research on marijuana, there are no approved medical uses for young people, nor approved by the FDA. But one of the calls to action in the advisory is to push for more research at the local, state, and federal level. Which could become easier as more growers are allowed to have their products and plants tested.
One unexpected announcement from the press conference was that one-fourth of President Trump’s salary donation ($ 100,000) will be use to fully fund a digital media campaign focused on the effects of marijuana use in adolescents and pregnant women. With Secretary Azar noting, “As indicated by President Trump’s generous donation of his salary to support this advisory, the Trump Administration is committed to fighting substance abuse of all kinds, and that means continuing research, education, and prevention efforts around the risks of marijuana use.”
That said, many suspect the announcement by both the Secretary of HHS and the DEA earlier in the week, may be too good to be true. Not only was the language used in the Federal Register notice vague, it also noted the agency wants to craft and roll out new rules for evaluating and overseeing new growers. This along with little-to-no details about he role HHS and the Surgeon General’s office will play in the research process potentially signals continued delays to significant progress.
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United States Surgeon General Jerome Adams addresses an audience. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday morning, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and Secretary Alex Azar held a joint press conference addressing where the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stands on the future of medical and scientific research on marijuana in the United States. The announcement came just days after the DEA revealed it will be accepting and reviewing applications from marijuana growers who would like their products to be used for scientific and medical research.
In the special public health announcement hosted live in Facebook and Twitter, Surgeon General Adams spoke with mental health and pediatric experts about the effects of marijuana use in adolescents and pregnant mothers as it pertains to effects on the developing brain. In tandem, the Surgeon General released an advisory emphasizing the harms of marijuana use in adolescents and pregnant women due to increases in overall use as well as increases in THC potency across the country.
“There is a false perception that marijuana is not as harmful as other drugs. I want to be very clear – no amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or adolescence is known to be safe,” said Surgeon General Adams.
While both Secretary Azar and Surgeon General Adams said that HHS supports research on marijuana, there are no approved medical uses for young people, nor approved by the FDA. But one of the calls to action in the advisory is to push for more research at the local, state, and federal level. Which could become easier as more growers are allowed to have their products and plants tested.
One unexpected announcement from the press conference was that one-fourth of President Trump’s salary donation ($ 100,000) will be use to fully fund a digital media campaign focused on the effects of marijuana use in adolescents and pregnant women. With Secretary Azar noting, “As indicated by President Trump’s generous donation of his salary to support this advisory, the Trump Administration is committed to fighting substance abuse of all kinds, and that means continuing research, education, and prevention efforts around the risks of marijuana use.”
That said, many suspect the announcement by both the Secretary of HHS and the DEA earlier in the week, may be too good to be true. Not only was the language used in the Federal Register notice vague, it also noted the agency wants to craft and roll out new rules for evaluating and overseeing new growers. This along with little-to-no details about he role HHS and the Surgeon General’s office will play in the research process potentially signals continued delays to significant progress.