Oklahoma's Own Focus On Kids: Health Experts Alarmed By Rising Teen Marijuana Usage

Oklahoma medical professionals are warning parents regarding marijuana, saying the negative effects of THC on children's health have been increasingly studied.

Several rural Oklahoma health care centers have seen a rise in the number of accidental use of marijuana products, and leaders at these facilities say the state must take cannabis more seriously as scientists learn more about its true effects.

“This is not the same marijuana it used to be,” said Theresa Horton, a pediatrician at Owasso’s Utica Park Clinic. “It is not mild anymore.”

Horton said more children are using THC.

“With more frequent use it becomes a greater problem,” Horton said. “The brain is not fully developed until 25 or 30. Even 8% of eighth graders have used [marijuana] within a month.”

Horton also said this includes young children who come across their parent's marijuana products.

“Rates of accidental ingestion have increased almost 2,000% in Oklahoma alone,” Horton said.

 Drumright Regional Hospital physician assistant Helga Price said the side effects can be severe for younger children.

“Seizures and not breathing are your major concerns,” Price said. “Then you’ve gotta sedate them — you’ve gotta put a tube in them.”

Haskell Regional Hospital PA Keith Plummer said parents should use common sense, and keep THC products secure and out of their children's reach.

“It’s much more accessible in the home,” Plummer said. “Definitely gotta keep it away from your kids.”

However, Horton is more anxious about chronic marijuana use in teen adolescents.

“We’re seeing increased risk of suicide and suicide behavior — increased mental health disorders,” Horton said.

The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act in 2022 made it easier for researchers to study marijuana, which Horton said is essential to understanding this growing health concern.

“We need more [research] and it’s gonna take time,” Horton said. “What is happening now is not natural. It’s not safe and it is addictive.”

Horton said more pregnant women are using THC, leading to higher rates of NICU admission.

Horton also said more education is needed on THC to know the long-term impacts, and dispensaries need better warning labels on their packaging to deter young children.