Page 28 - aruba-today-20190831

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 31 auguSt 2019
'This ain't your mother's marijuana,' surgeon general says

By RICARDO ALONSO- Academy of Pediatrics
ZALDIVAR advise women not to use
Associated Press marijuana during pregnan-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fed- cy, and to discontinue the
eral health officials issued a drug if they find out they
national warning Thursday are pregnant.
against marijuana use by HHS Assistant Secretary
adolescents and pregnant for Health Brett Giroir said
women, as more states le- pregnant women taking
galize the increasingly po- marijuana to relieve morn-
tent drug for medicinal and ing sickness should stop.
recreational use. "If you have morning sick-
Health and Human Ser- ness, talk to your physician,"
vices Secretary Alex Azar said Giroir. "There are FDA-
and Surgeon General Je- approved drugs to help
rome Adams made the with morning sickness. Tak-
announcement, with Azar ing marijuana for morning
calling marijuana "a dan- sickness has never been
gerous drug." Officials said shown to be safe and ef-
President Donald Trump fective." The government's
has donated $100,000 — National Institute on Drug
one-quarter of his annual Abuse is paying for several
government salary — to- In this Aug. 15, 2019, file photo, marijuana grows at an indoor cannabis farm in Gardena, Calif. studies on marijuana use in
ward a digital campaign Associated Press pregnancy, including one
to raise awareness of the involving women who have
risks. Trump has forgone his human fetus. The drug has ams said. "Over time there with consent from a legal chosen to continue using
official salary since taking also gotten stronger, with has been a change in at- guardian and certification the drug to treat morning
office. a three-fold increase in the titudes about marijuana from a doctor. sickness despite warnings.
The warning comes as le- concentration of the ac- creating a false sense of Adams said that for teens While some studies have
gal marijuana has grown tive ingredient THC in cul- security." it carries a risk of affecting suggested that mari-
into a $10-billion industry tivated plants over the last While the White House has brain development, which juana may be harmful to
in the U.S. with nearly two- 20 years. made the opioid epidemic continues in the 20s. Fre- the developing brain, the
thirds of states legalizing it, "This ain't your mother's a top policy and political quent marijuana use by evidence isn't conclusive,
mainly for medical uses. marijuana," Adams said. priority, marijuana previ- teenagers is associated explained NIDA Director
Possessing small amounts The American Medical As- ously had not gotten such with changes in parts of Nora Volkow, who said she
of marijuana for adult rec- sociation said it strongly high-level attention. the brain that are involved strongly supports the sur-
reational use is legal in 11 supports the government's Federal officials say they with attention, memory, geon general's warning.
states and the District of effort, adding that it for fear the trend toward le- decision-making and moti- "We cannot close our eyes
Columbia, according to some time it has been rec- galization may make it vation. and say this is not hap-
the National Conference ommending against mari- more enticing for teenag- Among pregnant women, pening. It's happening,"
of State Legislatures. The list juana use by teens, preg- ers to try marijuana. It's marijuana is the most com- said Volkow. It would be a
includes California, Colo- nant women and women a commonly used drug monly used illicit drug, with missed opportunity not to
rado, Michigan and Maine. who are breastfeeding. among youths, they said, about 7% reporting they continue the research to
Federal law still treats it as a The surgeon general said along with alcohol and e- had used it within the past find conclusive evidence
controlled substance akin his advisory is a direct result cigarettes. No states allow month in a 2017 study. on how the drug affects
to opioids. of scientific research that recreational marijuana use Some women use it to help the fetus, she said.
Adams said science shows runs counter to changing by teens. States with medi- with morning sickness. The "My view is that the way
that marijuana is harmful social mores. cal marijuana programs, American College of Ob- that you change things is
to the developing brains "Marijuana use is a risk to Illinois among them, gen- stetricians and Gynecolo- by providing evidence,"
of teenagers and to the the developing brain," Ad- erally allow use by minors gists and the American she added.q

Mumps sickens hundreds of detained migrants in 19 states

By CARLA K. JOHNSON the first U.S. government tention center staffers, the sure that highly contagious drastically reduced the
AP Medical Writer report on the outbreaks in Centers for Disease Con- diseases are not spread. number of mumps cases.
Mumps has swept through the overloaded immigra- trol and Prevention said Cox said some detainees Only a few hundred cases
57 immigration detention tion system. in its report Thursday. New come from countries where are reported most years,
facilities in 19 states since The virus sickened 898 cases continue as migrants communicable diseases with periodic outbreaks in-
September, according to adult migrants and 33 de- are taken into custody or are less controlled than volving colleges or other
transferred between facili- in the U.S. and carry with places where people are
ties, the report said. As of them the risk of spreading in close contact. In the mi-
last week, outbreaks were infection. grant center outbreaks, at
happening in 15 facilities The CDC report said more least 13 people were hospi-
in seven states. In response than 80% of patients were talized, the CDC reported.
to the report, Immigration exposed while in custody. The CDC did not identify
and Customs Enforcement Mumps is a contagious virus detention facilities, but said
spokesman Bryan Cox said that causes swollen glands, 34 of them are operated
medical professionals at puffy cheeks, fever, head- by private companies. The
detention facilities screen aches and, in severe cases, report said migrants were
all new detainees within 24 hearing loss and meningitis. being held in 315 facilities
hours of their arrival to en- In the U.S., vaccines have in mid-August.q