Con
Sharon Levy, MD, MPH, Medical Director of the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program at Boston Children's Hospital and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, stated the following in her Feb. 19, 2013 letter to the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, published on the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics website:
“No cannabinoid product has been studied for safety or efficacy in children or adolescents…
[M]arijuana does cause changes in the same areas of the brain as other addictive drugs (in particular the nucleus accumbens) and individuals addicted to marijuana lose control over their drug use, just as individuals addicted to other substances. Marijuana use is also associated with serious mental and physical health consequences to which adolescents and young adults are particularly susceptible… [T]here is compelling evidence that marijuana is neurotoxic to children and adolescents. The American Academy of Pediatrics opposes ‘medical marijuana’ for children. Several recent news reports have portrayed the short term benefits of marijuana for children with complications of chemotherapy, seizures, and autism. While the anecdotal reports can be dramatic, we do not know how these children fare in the long run. Modern medicine has learned the hard way that very promising looking therapies can ultimately turn out to cause more harm than good. Let’s not let history repeat itself.” Feb. 19, 2013