August 30, 2019
Yesterday, Surgeon General Jerome Adams announced an advisory warning against the use of marijuana by adolescents and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Adams, flanked by members of the D.C. health community, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, stressed the grave risk marijuana use poses to developing adolescent and fetal brains.
Today, marijuana is more potent than it was 20-plus years ago and comes in many forms that all contain differing levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical giving the drug user euphoria and intoxication, and cannabidiol (CBD). Marijuana use not only leads to physical dependency, addiction, agitation, paranoia, but it also harms developing brains.
In their effort to help the public make informed decisions, HHS also released a number of informational materials for parents and expectant mothers on the risks of marijuana use. On top of this, President Trump has also donated $100,000 of his governmental salary to fund a public awareness campaign on the dangers of using marijuana.
“Marijuana use is on the rise, which, unfortunately, is not surprising given its targeted marketing and relatively easy accessibility,” said Eagle Forum President Eunie Smith. “We applaud Surgeon General Adams, HHS Secretary Azar, and President Trump for taking the threat marijuana poses our society seriously. Eagle Forum supports these efforts and encourages lawmakers to enact legislation making the drug illegal for those under 21 years of age and pregnant and breastfeeding women. We will continue to fight against the drug’s legalization at both the state and federal level.”