Your Body: Pediatricians warn against pot use for kids, teens

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iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical Contributor

Fewer adolescents see marijuana as a “great risk,” a new survey shows. And despite the increased availability — as more states pass laws to make recreational marijuana use legal — the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) maintains its opposition to it for children and teens.

The AAP has issued a new consensus statement outlining the risks associated with pot, including cognitive impairment, reduced reaction time, diminished lung function and increased risk for mental health disorders, like depression.

While we don’t know the long term effects of cannabis on kids and teenagers, we do know that metabolites of marijuana have been found in the urine of kids whose parents smoke pot in their presence. For these reasons, doctors are adamantly against its use for kids and teens.

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