"More U.S. Parents Smoking Pot Around Kids" - Dennis Thompson
Progress made in limiting kids' exposure to secondhand smoke could be undermined by the increasing popularity of pot, a new study suggests. Fewer parents are smoking cigarettes who have kids in the home these days – about 20 percent in 2015 compared with more than 27 percent in 2002. But marijuana use among cigarette-smoking parents increased dramatically that same period, indicating that kids in those families could be exposed to more secondhand smoke than ever. There isn't a lot of evidence at hand about the health effects of secondhand marijuana smoke. But what is available suggests that it is likely to be harmful, said Karen Wilson, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics, division chief of general pediatrics, and vice-chair of translational research in the department of pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Wilson noted that a recent study in Colorado found about 16 percent of kids hospitalized for a lung infection called bronchiolitis had blood markers showing they’d been exposed to marijuana smoke. "This is a significant concern, and one we're hearing more about even in places like New York City, where smoking marijuana is still illegal,” she added.
- Karen M. Wilson, MD, MPH, Professor, Pediatrics, Debra and Leon Black Division Chief, General Pediatrics, Vice-Chair, Clinical and Translational Research, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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