Story at a glance
- The slight increase in asthma prevalence among teens could indicate legalization of recreational cannabis has downstream effects on youth respiratory health.
- However, more research is needed on the effects of cannabis legalization and commercialization on adolescent health, study authors stressed.
- Additional studies should also focus on whether secondhand cannabis smoke worsens asthma.
Legalization of recreational cannabis may contribute to increased rates of teen and childhood asthma, new research suggests.
Investigators compared asthma rates in states with recreational programs with rates in states where the substance was illegal from 2011 through 2019.
Although the overall incidence of childhood asthma decreased within this time frame, the prevalence of asthma increased slightly among teens aged 12 to 17, and among children in some minority racial and ethnic groups in states with recreational use laws, relative to states where cannabis is fully illegal.
Hispanic youth saw the greatest increase in pediatric asthma rates in states with recreational laws, data showed.
Writing in the journal Preventive Medicine, researchers said the evidence indicates legalizing and commercializing adult cannabis use may lead to downstream impacts on children’s respiratory health.
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“Cannabis use is increasing among adults with children in the home, particularly in states which have legalized for medical or recreational use. Exposure to secondhand smoke is a key risk factor for asthma among children,” said lead author Renee D. Goodwin, an adjunct associate professor at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and professor at The City University of New York.
“This study offers a critical first step in identifying a key children’s health concern emerging in the context of rapid, ongoing changes in cannabis policy that are unaccompanied by clinical or public health guidelines for parents,” Goodwin said in a release.
Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions among U.S. children, affecting around 5.1 million youths across the nation. Black and Hispanic youth are also at a greater risk of asthma.
Currently, 21 states have legalized the recreational adult use of marijuana.
To carry out the study, researchers assessed data from the National Survey on Children’s Health. Data were collected in waves from 2011-2012, 2016-2017 and 2018-2019. A total of 227,451 children between the ages of 0 and 17 were included.
A statistically significant decrease in asthma rates was seen from 2011-2012 to 2016-2017, but rates remained stable thereafter.
Despite more adults using cannabis in the wake of legalization laws, no clinical or public education regarding childhood exposure to secondhand cannabis smoke (SCS) is available or routinely provided to parents, Goodwin said.
In states where recreational cannabis is legal, around 12 percent of parents with children report using the substance. In comparison, 9.5 percent of parents in states where medical use is legal said the same, and just 6.1 percent of parents use cannabis in states where the substance is illegal.
“While tremendous progress has been made in asthma management in concert with tobacco control over the past several decades, the possibility that increased adult cannabis use may pose new risks, requires more in-depth study and, in particular, to learn whether SCS is associated with increases in asthma morbidity, including symptom frequency, use of rescue medicines, impairment—including missed school days —and emergency medical services,” Goodwin said.
Published on Jan 12,2023