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This article reports on pediatrician warnings regarding the rising incidence of cannabis use disorder in children and adolescents, driven largely by increased product availability and accessibility. The clinical concern centers on developmental neurotoxicity, as cannabis exposure during critical periods of brain maturation can impair cognition, memory, attention, and emotional regulation, with effects potentially persisting into adulthood. Pediatricians emphasize that modern cannabis products, particularly edibles and high-potency formulations, pose greater risks than historical use due to concentrated THC levels that exceed what developing brains can safely tolerate. The medical community highlights that easy access through both legal dispensaries and illicit sources undermines prevention efforts and increases the likelihood of early-onset cannabis use disorder, which carries risks of dependence, academic decline, and psychosocial dysfunction. Clinicians should incorporate routine screening for cannabis use into pediatric and adolescent visits, counsel families on risks specific to developing neurology, and recognize that cannabis use disorder in youth often requires intervention similar to other substance use disorders. Given the widespread availability of high-potency products, pediatricians and primary care providers need to actively educate patients and families about neurodevelopmental risks and maintain vigilance for early signs of problematic use.
“What we’re seeing in clinical practice is that adolescent cannabis use disorder is becoming as prevalent as alcohol use disorder was a generation ago, and the difference is that we don’t yet have the same screening protocols or treatment infrastructure in primary care, which means many affected kids slip through without intervention until they’ve already developed significant cognitive or motivational consequences.”
🧠 Pediatricians’ growing concerns about cannabis use disorder in children reflect an important clinical reality: adolescent brain development vulnerability and emerging evidence of cognitive and mental health impacts from early use, yet clinicians should recognize that “easy access” narratives often oversimplify a complex landscape involving illegal markets, regulatory frameworks, and socioeconomic factors that vary considerably by jurisdiction. The challenge for primary care providers is distinguishing between developmentally appropriate substance experimentation and pathological use disorder while remaining alert to red flags such as academic decline, social withdrawal, or progression to other substances, particularly in youth with genetic predisposition to psychosis or addiction. Confounders such as concurrent mental health conditions, peer influences, and family history complicate individual risk assessment and must be considered rather than attributing outcomes to cannabis exposure alone. Clinicians should consider incorporating brief screening for cannabis use into adolescent visits, counsel about neurodevelopmental risks using evidence-based
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