Implications of Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization from the Perspective of Adolescent Health

Background: Adult-use cannabis legalization is being increasingly embraced by various jurisdictions in the United States (US) and internationally. As adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences of cannabis, it is essential to ensure that the effects of adult-use legalization are minimized. Objectives: This review aimed to synthesize the extant literature exploring the impact of adult-use legalization on adolescents and provide recommendations for future action. We focused on the following domains: 1) prevalence of use, 2) high-frequency use, 3) perceived harm, 4) perceived availability, 5) modes of use, 6) potency, 7) mental health and medical outcomes, and 8) legal consequences. Methods: Narrative review is focused on adult-use legalization in the US. Results: Adolescent cannabis use prevalence in US legal (as well as illegal) states has remained essentially stable since the advent of adult-use legalization. Criminal penalties for adolescents have not decreased in legal states and maybe increasing; out-of-school suspensions for cannabis use may also be increasing. It is uncertain whether reported decreases in national rates of perceived harm and availability and increases in cannabis frequency and potency of use in adolescents differ between legal and illegal states. The impact of legalization on adolescent health outcomes remains uncertain. Conclusion: At this early stage of adult-use legalization, we recommend that jurisdictions implement real-time, detailed monitoring to assess adolescent outcomes. In addition, both criminal penalties and out-of-school suspensions for cannabis infractions should be minimized.

Didactic education in paediatric cardiology during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national fellow survey

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s1047951120003996 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

Madhusudan Ganigara ◽

Chetan Sharma ◽

Fernando Molina Berganza ◽

Krittika Joshi ◽

Andrew D. Blaufox ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Online Learning ◽

United States Of America ◽

Formal Education ◽

Medical Training ◽

Nationwide Survey ◽

The United States ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Paediatric Cardiology ◽

Abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound impact on medical educational curricula. We aimed to examine the impact of these unprecedented changes on the formal education of paediatric cardiology fellows through a nationwide survey. A REDCap™-based voluntary anonymous survey was sent to all current paediatric cardiology fellows in the United States of America in May, 2020. Of 143 respondents, 121 were categorical fellows, representing over one-fourth of all categorical paediatric cardiology fellows in the United States of America. Nearly all (140/143, 97.9%) respondents utilised online learning during the pandemic, with 134 (93.7%) reporting an increase in use compared to pre-pandemic. The percentage of respondents reporting curriculum supplementation with outside lectures increased from 11.9 to 88.8% during the pandemic. Respondents considered online learning to be “equally or more effective” than in-person lectures in convenience (133/142, 93.7%), improving fellow attendance (132/142, 93.0%), improving non-fellow attendance (126/143, 88.1%), and meeting individual learning needs (101/143, 70.6%). The pandemic positively affected the lecture curriculum of 83 respondents (58.0%), with 35 (24.5%) reporting no change and 25 (17.5%) reporting a negative effect. A positive effect was most noted by those whose programmes utilised supplemental outside lectures (62.2 versus 25.0%, p = 0.004) and those whose lecture frequency did not decrease (65.1 versus 5.9%, p < 0.001). Restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic have greatly increased utilisation of online learning platforms by medical training programmes. This survey reveals that an online lecture curriculum, despite inherent obstacles, offers advantages that may mitigate some negative consequences of the pandemic on fellowship education.

Warlords, the United States, and the state of anarchy in Afghanistan

Central European Journal of Politics ◽

10.24132/cejop_2021_1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Ahmad Shah Azami

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

State Building ◽

The State ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Human Rights Abuses ◽

Illegal Mining ◽

The Us ◽

The Government ◽

As part of its “War on Terror”, the United States (US) provided immense sums of money and advanced equipment to Afghan warlords in order to defeat and dismantle the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Nearly two decades after the 2001 US-led intervention in Afghanistan that toppled the Taliban regime, the US continues supporting the warlords in various ways. As the intervention was also aimed at establishing a functioning state and reconstruction of the war-torn country, the US needed the support of local warlords to achieve its goals. However, over time, warlords and warlordism became a major challenge to the postTaliban state-building project and in many ways undermined the overall security and the state monopoly on violence. These warlords, who had been mostly expelled and defeated by the Taliban regime, returned under the aegis of the B52 bombers, recaptured parts of the country and reestablished their fiefdoms with US support and resources. They not only resist giving up the power and prestige they have accumulated over the past few years, but also hamper the effort to improve governance and enact necessary reforms in the country. In addition, many of them run their private militias and have been accused of serious human rights abuses as well as drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal mining and extortion in the areas under their control or influence. In many ways, they challenge the government authority and have become a major hurdle to the country’s emerging from lawlessness and anarchy. This paper explores the emergence and reemergence of warlords in Afghanistan as well as the evolution of chaos and anarchy in the country, especially after the US-led intervention of late 2001. It also analyzes the impact of the post-9/11 US support to Afghan warlords and its negative consequences for the overall stability and the US-led state-building process in Afghanistan.

Supporting Children Who Experience Domestic Violence: Evaluating the Child Witness to Domestic Violence Program

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/08862605211035874 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 088626052110358

Author(s):

Erin C. Schubert

Keyword(s):

Domestic Violence ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Control Group ◽

Child Witness ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Emotional Symptoms ◽

Child Gender ◽

Impacting 1 in 4 children in the United States, childhood exposure to domestic violence predicts myriad negative sequelae. Intervening post exposure is critical to help children and their protective parent heal and avoid long-term negative consequences. Children aged 2-17 and their mothers who were victims of domestic violence participated in a 12-week group program delivered by domestic violence agency staff that provides psychoeducation on the impact of trauma and domestic violence and aims to improve parent and child well-being. The impact of the Child Witness to Domestic Violence (CWDV) program was tested in an intervention group ( n = 69 children, 33 mothers) who participated in CWDV and control group ( n = 80 children, 39 mothers) consisting of children whose mothers received adult-focused domestic violence services but were not enrolled in CWDV or other child-focused services. Multiple regression analyses controlling for child gender, child age, mother’s age, and the outcome of interest at time 1 found that participation in CWDV program significantly predicted better child functioning as indicated by less hyperactivity ( B = –.85, p = .06), fewer negative emotional symptoms ( B = –1.14, p = .01), and fewer total behavioral difficulties ( B = –2.48, p = .02) as well as higher maternal hope ( B = .57, p = .03). These data provide promising evidence of the impact of a brief, replicable group intervention that promotes healing and well-being among children and parents exposed to domestic violence. Limitations include a quasi-experimental design and reliance on maternal report.

Handbook of Research on School Violence in American K-12 Education - Advances in Early Childhood and K-12 Education ◽

Racialized Perceptions of School Violence Suspensions of African-American Students

10.4018/978-1-5225-6246-7.ch009 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 208-226

Author(s):

Jeffrey Herron ◽

Morghan Vélez Young-Alfaro

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

School Violence ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

African American Students ◽

School Suspensions ◽

American Students ◽

Learning School ◽

The Impact ◽

Perceptions Of School ◽

The history and current practices of out-of-school suspensions significantly impact African-American students; research shows the practices to be overly used and target African-American students. This chapter explores the ways that school violence is responded to disproportionally and is entangled with racial mythology. That is, racial discrimination shows up in structural and interpersonal ways such as suspending and expelling students of Color for the same infractions for which White peers get to return to class such as kicking a trashcan, defiance, and truancies. The chapter closes with recommendations for educators and policymakers, focusing on ways to mitigate the impact of out-of-school suspension practices and racial discrimination in order to improve the future of learning, school discipline, and outcomes of African-American students.

Research Anthology on Empowering Marginalized Communities and Mitigating Racism and Discrimination ◽

Racialized Perceptions of School Violence Suspensions of African-American Students

10.4018/978-1-7998-8547-4.ch063 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1284-1302

Author(s):

Jeffrey Herron ◽

Morghan Vélez Young-Alfaro

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

School Violence ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

African American Students ◽

School Suspensions ◽

American Students ◽

Learning School ◽

The Impact ◽

Perceptions Of School ◽

Frequent Cannabis Use and Cessation of Injection of Opioids, Vancouver, Canada, 2005–2018

American Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2105/ajph.2020.305825 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 110 (10) ◽

pp. 1553-1560 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hudson Reddon ◽

Kora DeBeck ◽

M. Eugenia Socias ◽

Stephanie Lake ◽

Huiru Dong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hazard Rate ◽

People Who Inject Drugs ◽

Cox Regression ◽

The United States ◽

Cannabis Use ◽

Opioid Overdose ◽

Cox Regression Analysis ◽

Prospective Cohorts ◽

Injection Cessation ◽

Objectives. To evaluate the impact of frequent cannabis use on injection cessation and injection relapse among people who inject drugs (PWID). Methods. Three prospective cohorts of PWID from Vancouver, Canada, provided the data for these analyses. We used extended Cox regression analysis with time-updated covariates to analyze the association between cannabis use and injection cessation and injection relapse. Results. Between 2005 and 2018, at-least-daily cannabis use was associated with swifter rates of injection cessation (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] = 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03, 1.30). A subanalysis revealed that this association was only significant for opioid injection cessation (AHR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.12, 1.41). At-least-daily cannabis use was not significantly associated with injection relapse (AHR = 1.08; 95% CI = 0.95, 1.23). Conclusions. We observed that at-least-daily cannabis use was associated with a 16% increase in the hazard rate of injection cessation, and this effect was restricted to the cessation of injection opioids. This finding is encouraging given the uncertainty surrounding the impact of cannabis policies on PWID during the ongoing opioid overdose crisis in many settings in the United States and Canada.

Unique Molecular Features in High-Risk Histology Endometrial Cancers

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers11111665 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 1665 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Pooja Pandita ◽

Xiyin Wang ◽

Devin E. Jones ◽

Kaitlyn Collins ◽

Shannon M. Hawkins

Keyword(s):

Endometrial Cancer ◽

High Risk ◽

Early Stage ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

The United States ◽

Model Systems ◽

Low Grade ◽

Cell Of Origin ◽

Molecular Features ◽

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the United States and the sixth most common cancer in women worldwide. Fortunately, most women who develop endometrial cancer have low-grade early-stage endometrioid carcinomas, and simple hysterectomy is curative. Unfortunately, 15% of women with endometrial cancer will develop high-risk histologic tumors including uterine carcinosarcoma or high-grade endometrioid, clear cell, or serous carcinomas. These high-risk histologic tumors account for more than 50% of deaths from this disease. In this review, we will highlight the biologic differences between low- and high-risk carcinomas with a focus on the cell of origin, early precursor lesions including atrophic and proliferative endometrium, and the potential role of stem cells. We will discuss treatment, including standard of care therapy, hormonal therapy, and precision medicine-based or targeted molecular therapies. We will also discuss the impact and need for model systems. The molecular underpinnings behind this high death to incidence ratio are important to understand and improve outcomes.

Punishment in School: The Role of School Security Measures

International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership ◽

10.22230/ijepl.2014v9n2a483 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Thomas J Mowen

Keyword(s):

School Security ◽

Security Measures ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Security Officer ◽

Suspension Rates ◽

School Suspensions ◽

Prior Literature ◽

Using Data ◽

The Impact ◽

Although investigation of school security measures and their relationships to various outcomes including school crime rates (Gottfredson, 2001), perpetuation of social inequality (Ferguson, 2001; Nolan, 2011; Welch & Payne, 2010), and the impact on childhood experiences has seen significant growth within the last 20 years (Newman, 2004; Kupchik, 2010), few studies have sought to explore the impacts of these measures on suspension rates. Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study (2002), I explore the relationship between security measures and in-school, out-of-school, and overall suspension rates. Results indicate schools with a security officer experience higher rates of in-school suspensions but have no difference in rates of out-of-school or overall suspensions compared to schools without a security officer. No other measure of security was related to higher suspension rates. As prior literature suggests, schools with greater proportions of black students experienced significantly higher rates of all suspension types. Finally, different types of parental involvement correlated with both higher and lower suspension rates.

I Want To Learn But They Won’t Let Me: Exploring the Impact of School Discipline on Academic Achievement

Urban Education ◽

10.1177/0042085920968629 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 004208592096862

Author(s):

Charles Bell ◽

Tiffany Puckett

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Critical Race Theory ◽

School Discipline ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Catching Up ◽

School Suspensions ◽

American Students ◽

The Impact ◽

Perceptions Of School ◽

Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a guiding conceptual framework, this qualitative study examines black students’ and parents’ perceptions of school discipline and its impact on academic achievement. The findings support the notion that out-of-school suspension has a negative impact on the academic achievement of African American students and suggest that this phenomenon emerges through a multifaceted process that includes (a) missing assignments and having trouble catching up, (b) missing vital instruction throughout the disciplinary period, and (c) educator resistance to providing makeup work to students who receive out-of-school suspensions. This study also provides some practical recommendations for school leaders.

Increased Likelihood of Falling in Older Cannabis Users vs. Non-Users

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11020134 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 134

Author(s):

Craig D. Workman ◽

Alexandra C. Fietsam ◽

Jacob Sosnoff ◽

Thorsten Rudroff

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Motor Function ◽

Fall Risk ◽

Balance Control ◽

The United States ◽

Normal Aging ◽

Cannabis Use ◽

Gait Velocity ◽

Cannabis is one of the most common drugs in the United States and is the third most prevalent substance consumed by adults aged 50 years and older. Normal aging is associated with physiological changes that make older adults vulnerable to impaired function and geriatric conditions (e.g., falls, cognitive impairment). However, the impact of medical cannabis use on fall risk in older adults remains unexplored. The purpose of this study was to investigate if cannabis use in older adults influences fall risk, cognitive function, and motor function. It was hypothesized that older chronic cannabis users would perform worse than non-users on gait, balance, and cognitive tests. Sixteen older adults, split into cannabis Users and age- and sex-matched Non-Users groups (n = 8/group), participated in the study. The results indicate a higher fall risk, worse one leg standing balance performance, and slower gait speed in Users vs. Non-Users. No significant differences in cognitive function were found. Thus, chronic cannabis use was purported to exacerbate the poorer balance control and slower gait velocity associated with normal aging. Future mechanistic (e.g., neuroimaging) investigations of the short- and long-term effects of using a variety of cannabis products (e.g., THC/CBD ratios, routes of administration) on cognitive function, motor function, and fall incidence in older adults are suggested.