Study by #KaiserPermanente in @jamanetworkopen.com
(we/@publichealthinst.bsky.social co-authored):

NorCal teen #cannabis use rose post legalization—even before retail sales—& declined during #COVID, returned to “pre” levels by 24’.

Norms, perceptions, & access DO impact behavior.

bit.ly/4vTAFev

California must keep its promise to protect kids from big cannabis - Capitol Weekly OPINION – California voters were promised something simple and reasonable when they approved cannabis legalization under Proposition 64: a tightly regulated industry that would fund youth programs, pr...

2/#AB2249 (#Irwin) would:

• Define & prohibit products “attractive to children”
• Strengthen packaging/marketing rules
• Improve enforcement

We’ve seen consequences of weak safeguards. This bill helps realign #CannabisPolicy with what voters promised under #Prop64! #CALeg

Read: bit.ly/4vrusWI

1/#YouthForward editorial in @capitolweekly.bsky.social: CA failing to keep #cannabis legalization promises:

• ~$128M cut from prevention funding
• Products packaged like candy
• 469% rise in poisonings among young kids
• Higher potency, rising #MentalHealth risks

#AB2249 (#Irwin) needed! #CALeg

2/#AB2532 (@ASM_Irwin) sets common-sense guardrails, incl:

• Limit beverages to 10mg #THC per container (1 serving)
• Align packaging with real-world consumption
• Reduce preventable harms to consumers

Let's put basic #PublicHealth protections in place—& hold the market accountable.

1/#AB2532 (ASM Irwin) will rein in an out-of-control #cannabis bev market.

Products with up to 100mg (10 doses!) #THC per container sold as single-serving drinks—misleading consumers & increasing risks of:

• Severe anxiety
• Accidents & impaired driving
• Pediatric poisonings

#CALeg

How Do Cannabis Ads Influence Youth Perceptions of Cannabis? Cannabis marketing exposure has been shown to influence use among youth by increasing positive cannabis perceptions and interest. However, little is known about what specific cannabis advertising f...

2/We tried to address w. #AB1207 (23')—a landmark bill to curb youth-appealing #cannabis marketing. It passed #CALeg (but vetoed by @cagovernornewsom.bsky.social ).

We must:
✔️ Restrict flavors & youth-focused imagery
✔️ Limit lifestyle/“fun” marketing
✔️ Put health before profit

More: bit.ly/41DFavu

1/New study in @tandfresearch.bsky.social we co-authored shows how #cannabis ads shape youth perceptions—& risk.

Among CA youth, ads with flavors, “fun” imagery, & playful designs made it seem more appealing & less dangerous.
Marketing isn’t neutral—it drives perception. And perception drives use.

2/In U.S., legalization means commercialization—expanding marketing, potency, & consumption.

Quebec’s system includes safeguards that avoid many of the harms associated with legalized & commercialized #cannabis markets:
• Not-for-profit
• Health oversight
• Profits go to prevention & research

1/New study in Sage Journals of #Quebec’s cannabis retail monopoly shows how legalization can prioritize #PublicHealth.

In contrast to the U.S., system designed to sell #cannabis without encouraging consumption.

Legalization doesn’t have to mean commercialization.

Read Study: bit.ly/4rlzXmt

Lynn Silver, MD, MPH, FAAP, warns of psychiatric risks with adolescent cannabis use | Contemporary Pediatrics A study found cannabis use was associated with a doubled risk of psychotic and bipolar disorders.

3/Study DOESN’T say:

❌ Restart #DrugWar
❌ Jail for possession

We support:

✔ Age guardrails
✔ Potency limits
✔ Marketing restrictions
✔ Science-based parent education

We can oppose incarceration & prevent hospitalization.

PHI's Dr. Silver on #ContemporaryPediatrics: bit.ly/4cCr0Sn
#Cannabis

Cannabis use in adolescents may raise risk for several psychiatric disorders EUREKA, Calif. — A recent study conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Research Institute suggests that teenagers who use cannabis may face a higher risk of developing certain mental health conditions

2/How we talk about #cannabis & youth #MentalHealth is changing.

Strongest associations? Psychotic & bipolar disorders risk about doubled in adolescents studied.

One reason: Today’s products are vastly more potent.

Watch Dr. Silver on #RedwoodNews talk about new study findings: bit.ly/4r7BJYp

Scientists are raising new concerns about marijuana use in teens A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association associates adolescent cannabis use with increased risk for serious mental health conditions.

1/@jamahealthforum.com study by #KaiserPermanente
(& @publichealthinst.bsky.social) followed ~500K teens over 8 yrs. Clinicians seeing what data shows (increase from maybe 20–30 youth a year in ER to nearly 600 in 2025).

Watch Dr. Young-Wolffe on #KPBS w. @heididemarco.bsky.social: bit.ly/4cRKphW

2/Dr. Silver explains how early #cannabis use appears to raise risk of serious psychiatric disorders — including #bipolardisorder & #psychosis — & increases #depression & #anxiety. She also notes how adolescent brain is still developing & legalization fueling misleading perception pot is harmless.

A huge study finds a link between cannabis use in teens and psychosis later Researchers followed more than 400,000 teens until they were adults. It found that those who used marijuana were more likely to develop serious mental illness, as well as depression and anxiety.

1/#NPR’s Rhitu Chatterjee spotlights #KaiserPermanente's (&
@publichealthinst.bsky.social, #USC, #UCSF) landmark
@jamahealthforum.com study on adolescent #cannabis use & correlated increases in #MentalHealth risks.

Longitudinal study follows over 460K teens for up to a decade.

bit.ly/4s2GbZc

Adolescent Cannabis Use and Risk of Psychotic, Bipolar, Depressive, and Anxiety Disorders This cohort study assesses the association of past-year cannabis use by adolescents with the risk of incident psychiatric, bipolar, depressive, and anxiety disorders by age 26 years.

See full study: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

2/Lead author, Kelly Young-Wolff, Kaiser Permanente: “This study adds to…growing body of evidence that #cannabis use during adolescence could have potentially detrimental, long-term health effects…It’s imperative that parents & children have accurate, trusted, evidence-based information abt risks.”

1/New study in #JAMAHealthForum, led by Kaiser Permanente & co-authored by researchers at @publichealthinst.bsky.social, UCSF, & USC finds past-year #cannabis use during adolescence is associated with a significantly higher risk of incident psychotic, bipolar, depressive & anxiety disorders.

2/Big questions remain—esp. about fed. action & industry power. But change starts locally.

Our #cannabis scorecards show where states & communities fall short—& how to use evidence based policies (like thc limits) to better protect #publichealth.

See how your locality did: bit.ly/3MfmYV8

Opinion | It’s Time for America to Admit That It Has a Marijuana Problem

1/NY Times Editorial Board just acknowledged a hard truth: #cannabis legalization w/o strong regulation has fueled sharp rises in frequent use, addiction, ER visits, psychosis & impaired driving. Legalize & regulate was the promise (one that remains unfulfilled). www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/o...

2/As our Alisa Padon explains in piece, state law is a floor, not a ceiling. Cities have real authority to reinvest #cannabis revenue in youth programs, limit youth-attractive products, & adopt smarter safeguards.

Scorecards show what works—& where communities can do better. #Marijuana #Scorecards

Cannabis report card: Do Orange Countycities make the grade? Columnist Teri Sforza writes: In the few O.C. cities that allow cannabis businesses, the industry generates tax revenue — up to $10 million for youth and safety programs. But public health ty…

1/Strong, deeply reported coverage by the Orange County Register’s @terisforza.bsky.social digs into our 2025 CA #CannabisPolicyScorecards, naming how Orange County cities scored — & detailing what each did & didn’t do to protect youth and public health as cannabis expands.

Article: bit.ly/4tnm6hJ

2/The story shows why these #cannabis scorecards matter: they don’t just diagnose gaps—they create accountability & a roadmap for better policy.

By showing where local governments exceed (or fall short) state minimums, they help push smarter, safer, science-based protections.
#PublicHealth

Redding, Shasta Lake, Anderson fall short on keeping cannabis from youth Current California rules on legal cannabis aren't tough enough, according to an Oakland-based research group.

1/Outstanding, in-depth reporting by Record Searchlight's (#USAToday network) Michele Chandler on our new 2025 CA #Cannabis Policy #Scorecards — examins how #Redding, Anderson, & Shasta Lake are (& aren’t) protecting youth & #PublicHealth as legal cannabis expands.

Read article: bit.ly/49Zirz9

2/#SanBenitoCounty scored highest among delivery-only #cannabis jurisdictions (39 pts), with a temporary event ban, billboard ban, local tax, permit requirements for outside delivery businesses, & delivery-location restrictions.

See CA Scorecards: bit.ly/3NSzMkG

1/The #CityofPomona tops 2025’s California #Cannabis Policy Scorecards (60 pts), leading on #PublicHealth & #Equity with strict license caps, event bans, 1K-ft school buffers, in-store #HealthWarnings, equity hiring & fee deferrals, & funding for youth programs.

Our Press Release: bit.ly/3Zfy2o4

2/CA built a massive legal #cannabis market w/o putting basic #publichealth guardrails in place.

As potency and marketing escalate, the harms are becoming harder to ignore — and local leaders need to follow the science, not industry spin.

These scorecards bring accountability back into focus.

1/@publichealthinst.bsky.social's @getitrightonmj.bsky.social's 2025 CA #CannabisPolicyScorecards are out! Local policies innovate yet underutilized amid rising #PublicHealth concerns. Report provides roadmap forward for cities/counties to better protect health, advance equity.

Read: bit.ly/3NSzMkG

2/States like #NewJersey are stepping up to ban #IntoxicatingHemp.

Now #congress needs to be educated about these harmful products flooding market.

The #hemp industry is free to produce/sell all kinds of non-intoxicating CBD & industrial hemp products —this abt protecting kids, not banning hemp.

Comer wants spending bill to delay intoxicating hemp ban Kentucky Republican hopes to win a two-year extension in spending legislation needed this month to head off a partial government shutdown.

1/#rollcall: Congress moving to delay an important federal ban on #IntoxicatingHemp due these products being highly intoxicating, poorly regulated, misleadingly marketed, accessible to youth, & increasing poisonings/ER visits—all thanks to a 2018 farm bill loophole!

rollcall.com/2026/01/15/c...