According to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2022), cannabis was the most commonly used illicit drug in 2022, with 22.0% of people aged 12 or older (or 61.9 million people) using cannabis in the past year. The percentage was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (38.2%), followed by adults aged 26+ (20.6%), then by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (11.5%).
Following legislation that approved recreational use of cannabis by adults, a diverse range of products have become readily available causing new public health concerns. While smoking or vaping cannabis were once the primary route of ingestion, cannabis consumption now includes ingestion through food, pills, drinks, drops, strips, and lozenges, and topical application through sprays, lotions, creams, and concentrates. “Expanding cannabis legislation across the world and individual states has significant consequences to threaten public health in the context of no cannabinoid product approved for psychiatric indication…. Cannabis related issues for adolescents and young adults are now emerging from the shadows of rural opioid addiction and death” (Gupta & Petti, 2023). Furthermore, research indicates that rural adolescents use cannabis earlier and at higher rates than urban adolescents.
To explore current cannabis trends for both urban and rural adolescents, The Green Adolescent Brain webinar will highlight risk factors associated with cannabis use by adolescents, its impact on the developing brain, and treatment interventions and recovery support strategies that are adolescent specific.
Learning Objectives:
Presented by Christian Thurstone, MD, MS
