The week of July 4-10 is “National Marijuana Facts Week”.  According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), THC, the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects, affects brain cells throughout the brain, including cells in circuits related to learning and memory, coordination, and addiction. Marijuana use can cause mood changes, and has been linked with depression, anxiety, panic, paranoia, psychosis, and, in some cases, an increased risk of schizophrenia, particularly for people with family history of schizophrenia, or who started using cannabis early in life.

“Greening out” is a term referring to the experience of acute toxicity, the adverse effects of cannabis overuse and high-potency THC products. These signs present in a more severe way than typical side effects and include extreme confusion, severe nausea or vomiting, paranoia, panic, increased heart rate, delusions or hallucinations, increased blood pressure, and/or anxiety.

July 10 is known as “OIL” day (710 upside down).  Whereas 4/20 refers to cannabis culture in general, 7/10 refers to cannabis oil products, such as butane hash oil, dabs, extracts, and the concentrate side of cannabis culture.  

Although cannabis use is legal for those twenty-one and older, legal does not mean safe. Visit the New York State Office of Cannabis Management’s website for information on licensing, products, and legal issues.  Products purchased from sources other than a licensed dispensary are unregulated and can potentially be contaminated with mold, fungus, pesticides, and other chemicals that can be harmful if consumed.

It is not safe for pregnant women to use cannabis at any time during their pregnancy or during breast/chest feeding, as substances used by the mother are passed to her baby.

Mental health issues are a long-term hazard of cannabis use, and statistics show that 1 of 6 youth who begin using cannabis become addicted. For parents visit the Office of Cannabis Management’s Cannabis Honestly to learn real facts on cannabis and the importance of talking to the young people in your life about the dangers of cannabis use.