A national warning was issued by Federal health officials on Thursday against marijuana use by pregnant women and adolescents.
Both the Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Surgeon General Jerome Adams made the announcement.
Azar called marijuana “a dangerous drug” while Adams said science shows that marijuana is harmful to the developing brains of teenagers and to the human fetus.
“This ain’t your mother’s marijuana,” Adams remarked.
“Marijuana use is a risk to the developing brain,” Adams said. “Over time there has been a change in attitudes about marijuana creating a false sense of security.”
HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir has also said pregnant women taking marijuana to relieve morning sickness should stop.
“If you have morning sickness, talk to your physician,” said Giroir. “There are FDA-approved drugs to help with morning sickness. Taking marijuana for morning sickness has never been shown to be safe and effective.”
“Almost no activity is entirely without risk, which is exactly why marijuana should be legalized and regulated for adult use,” defended Erik Altieri, the executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. “While marijuana still remains objectively less harmful to the consumer than currently legal alcohol, tobacco, and many pharmaceuticals it should still be consumed responsibly.”
He added: “Our current model of prohibition represents the utter lack of control over any aspect of marijuana or the marijuana market. If he truly has concerns, the Surgeon General’s time would be better spent advocating for a structure for regulation under which we can educate Americans about the actual harms and benefits of cannabis through public education campaigns and product labeling, instead of his current fear-mongering.”
