FCAAP opposes Florida amendment 3

The Florida Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics, Inc. (FCAAP) opposes Florida Amendment 3 – “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana” because marijuana use harms children and adolescents.

In Florida, accidental ingestions and overdoses of marijuana in children have skyrocketed in the 7 years after the legalization of medical marijuana. Between 2016 and 2023, the Florida Poison Control Center reports that child marijuana exposures, most of which required treatment in a medical facility, increased over 5‐fold (from about 125 to about 700). Over the same time, serious exposures increased 15‐fold, from 30 to 450, among children younger than 13 years of age. Toddlers as young as 13 months old have accidentally ingested marijuana and some have required hospitalization.

As has occurred in other states, legalizing recreational marijuana for adults will make marijuana readily accessible to more children and adolescents. Florida’s youth will undoubtedly experience higher rates of poison control cases and visits to children’s hospitals. Research has also shown that legalization creates a false perception that marijuana causes little or no harm – thereby leading to an increase in its use by adults and adolescents.

In fact, marijuana use does cause indisputable harm:

• In adolescents, marijuana use impairs attention span, concentration, problem solving, and short‐term memory, all of which interfere with school learning.
• Teenagers who use marijuana are less likely to graduate high school, enroll in college, and earn a college degree.
• Deficits in motor control, coordination, reaction time, and judgment while using marijuana have caused unintentional injuries and deaths, especially if driving while intoxicated.
• Marijuana use in adolescence correlates with multiple mental health problems, including depression and suicide attempts. Adolescents who have used marijuana have a twofold increased risk of developing psychosis and schizophrenia in adulthood. At a time when we are beginning to see some encouraging signs of improvement in our ongoing youth mental health crisis, it would be especially disturbing to add a factor that will reverse these gains.
• Adults may not achieve their full employment potential and may experience poorer interpersonal relationships. They report lower overall life satisfaction.
• Marijuana use during pregnancy is independently associated with increased risks of preterm birth, a reduction in fetal growth, and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. Studies have found higher rates of attention deficit/hyperactivity, behavior, and psychotic disorders in children with antenatal marijuana exposure.

For these reasons, FCAAP stands in opposition to Florida Amendment 3.

About the Florida Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics:

Through its more than 2,800 members, the Florida Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics promotes the health and welfare of Florida’s children and supports pediatricians and pediatric specialists as the best qualified providers of their health care.