Since Missouri Amendment 3 was legalized in November, many are concerned about youth in rural areas and their developing young brains. The National Institution on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Ray County Coalition have chosen to educate parents about the impact of Amendment 3.

According to the NIDA, there were points that were left out of Amendment 3, including “basic provisions” to protect and prevent the diversion of cannabis to youth. Compared to the vaping industry, the commercialization of addictive substances, in the absence of regulation, disproportionally hurts young people.

Amendment 3 legalized the commercialization of potent marijuana/cannabis in Missouri with few regulations. While six bullets were on the ballot, the amendment is a 38-page constitutional amendment that is full of protections for the current marijuana industry in Missouri.

Ray County Coalition listed its concerns as:

Potency:

The average potency of THC (the substance that gets you high) in marijuana/ cannabis products sold today is higher than ever before and science is just starting to measure the devastating impact of these concentrations on the brain and body. Amendment 3 does not have limits on THC potency and lacks major provisions for regulations that ensure consumer safety.

Products:

Retail marijuana will be legal in edibles, candies, concentrates, buds, waxes, cartridges for vapes and more, at various unregulated potencies. There are very few marketing restrictions, meaning that the marijuana industry can package, promote and saturate our communities with flashy advertisements, appealing packaging, steep discounts and coupons.

Prevention:

No revenue from the taxes is allocated to preventing cannabis diversion to youth. While every brain and body is impacted differently, adolescents are more vulnerable to the negative impacts of marijuana use than adults. If teens were to use marijuana, their risk of addiction, mental health problems, impaired driving and problems with thinking, memory, learning and coordination escalate. Legalization would make marijuana more available and seem more acceptable amidst a youth mental health crisis.

As the Ray County coalition’s goal this year is to focus on school support, they will continue to teach Ray County youth and parents the impacts on the youth’s growth and development.

Learn more about the impact of cannabis on the developing teen brain at nida.nih.gov/publications/ research-reports/ marijuana. For more information about the Ray County Coalition, visit raycountycoalition.com.