Medical marijuana and teens: does an adjective make a difference?

t t b a i t p c n a i t i h c n a I n the featured article, Salomonsen-Sautel et al. assessed the prevalence and frequency of diverted medical marijuana use in a sample of adolescents recruited for a genetics study at two substance-abuse treatment programs in metropolitan Denver, Colorado. The study idea was stimulated by clinical reports that adolescents were using diverted medical marijuana. Using a simple but scientifically sound design for their study, the investigators hoped to shed light on a potential new threat to adolescent health in a state that was in the first wave to legalize dispensation of marijuana to individuals who registered for medical use after recommendation from a physician. Although their exploratory study has acknowledged limitations, it rises above anecdotal evidence by using a well-defined sample, systematic questioning about medical marijuana experience and risk perception, and assessment of mental health symptoms and disorders with standardized measurements. In the tradition of many important public health discoveries, the investigators made good use of an existing research opportunity to better understand and inform observations made in the treatment setting. For centuries, humans have discovered and used plants for healing, and marijuana is no exception. Documentation of marijuana use for medical conditions occurs as far back in history as 2700 b.c. in China. Use in England increased in the mid1800s after the dissemination of observations of its analgesic and other useful properties by a British physician practicing in India. In the past few decades, assertions of benefits from medical marijuana have increased, and the list includes a wide range of conditions, such as pain control, nausea and vomiting, glaucoma, seizures, premenstrual symptoms, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, asthma, dementia, and more. Given that consumer safety in the United States has been supported for decades by the w