White Paper: Marijuana Use Causes Brain Damage in Teens

Since January, when the recreational use of marijuana became legal in Illinois, state-licensed stores have sold more than $500 million worth of the drug. Illinois is one of 15 states plus the District of Columbia that has legalized recreational use of the drug. In 1996 California legalized medical marijuana. Nearly a quarter century later, 36 states including Illinois and the District of Columbia now permit it. Over this period marijuana use has become acceptable in most of the United States. But has this acceptance brought harm to young people?

Mary Thielbahr, founder and director of Clearview Girls Academy, a Christian residential treatment center, would most likely answer with a resounding “yes.”