CADCA Publisher August 29, 2019
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General Arthur T. Dean Attends Surgeon General’s Press Conference on Marijuana Use

Washington, D.C. – On August 29, 2019, United States Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams released the first Surgeon General’s Advisory on marijuana since former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop’s in 1982, 37 years ago. In recognition of this Advisory, Surgeon General Adams hosted a national press conference to address the Advisory and implore health leaders and prevention advocates to convey that “no amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or adolescence is safe.”

Joined by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Dr. Elinore F. McCance-Katz, and Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Surgeon General Adams shared the details of his Advisory on Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain.

General Arthur T. Dean, Chairman & CEO, CADCA, was invited to attend the press conference. “CADCA believes, in accordance with the science and medical research developed in part by NIH and endorsed by Surgeon General Adams, that adolescent marijuana use is unsafe and can have extremely detrimental effects on the developing brain,” said General Dean. “We encourage our network of prevention advocates and community coalitions to continue to provide prevention resources for those most at risk of initiating marijuana and other substance misuse- our nation’s adolescents.”  

In his Advisory, Surgeon General Adams asserts that “marijuana can impair learning in adolescents,” with chronic marijuana use “linked to declines in IQ and school performance that jeopardizes professional and social achievements and life satisfaction.” Surgeon General Adams goes on to emphasize that “marijuana use is also linked to risk for and early onset of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia” and “adolescent marijuana use is often associated with other substance use.”

For questions related to this press release, contact Bailey Martin at bmartin@cadca.org.

About CADCA
The mission of CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) is to strengthen the capacity of community coalitions to create and maintain safe, healthy and drug-free communities globally.  This is accomplished by providing technical assistance and training, public policy advocacy, media strategies and marketing programs, training and special events.

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