DR MARC SIEGEL: America’s awful marijuana addiction is spreading from parents to kids
Marijuana is becoming the new alcohol—or worse. And children are paying the price.
Not only is cannabis use skyrocketing in this country, with close to 70 million users every year, but parents are increasingly subjecting their children to wafting, intoxicating smoke.
A new study from the University of California San Diego, a school based in a state with a big marijuana problem, shows that nationwide approximately 6 million children are living with a parent who uses cannabis most days.
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As I pointed out on "The Ingraham Angle" recently (both host Laura Ingraham and I are highly concerned about the impact of chronic marijuana use), children are twice as likely to use cannabis themselves if they live in a household where a parent is a regular user, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Cannabis use has more than doubled in the adult population over the past two decades (it’s now over 8%), according to data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
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Cannabis is highly addictive, and the THC content has increased greatly in all its forms, making it more and more dangerous. Edibles now typically contain up to 10 mg THC per serving, and concentrates and vape cartridges contain 50% to 95% THC (the psychoactive chemical in cannabis). The buds and flowers used for joints, vapes, edibles, and concentrates are now 15 to 25% THC—a few decades ago, the amount was just 1 to 2 percent.
Children are the victims here, and the impact starts as early as the womb. Fetal exposure leads to nearly twice the risk of premature birth and a two-and-a-half-times-greater risk of being born underweight or needing immediate medical intervention in the Neonatal ICU. Yet national data shows that over 5% of pregnant women have used marijuana products over the past month, and the number is climbing.
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Plus, if a child is exposed to marijuana in the womb, research shows that there is a 2.5-times-greater risk of THC product use during the child’s early teen years.
A landmark study from Harvard found that a mother’s cannabis use during a child’s first 12 years of life is linked to the child beginning to use marijuana by the age of 16.
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Regular marijuana use is not just addictive and contagious; it also directly impacts parenting. Parents who are regular users are more prone to emotional outbursts, car accidents, poor parenting, and mental health disorders.
Regular cannabis use can also cause emotional dysregulation, mood swings, impaired judgment, and unexpected outbursts of anger or irritability. Research shows that anxiety in parents leads directly to anxiety in children.
Where do we go from here? Look to our long history with alcohol. Strategies developed and used over generations for dealing with another highly addictive substance, alcohol, can help parents develop the tools they need to help themselves and their children.
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In my new book, "The Angels Among Us," I share the story of how Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson is inspired by God’s presence, which comes to him in a "blinding glare of white light." After previously living with debilitating alcoholism, Wilson discovers that sobriety becomes its own reward as he helps other alcoholics find a path to recovery. He finds that his method works best when he is sharing mutual experiences rather than preaching to other addicts.
Although 130 million Americans drink alcohol—twice the number who use cannabis—more Americans consume cannabis daily than drink alcohol daily.
Bill Wilson’s humble strategies of connectivity and spiritual cures can be applied to both addictions.