COLUMBUS, Ohio - Substance misuse prevention experts in Ohio are raising the alarm about the dangers associated with marijuana use among teens with mood disorder.

According to research from the Ohio State University College of Medicine, adolescents and young adults with mood disorder who use marijuana are at a significantly higher risk of self-harm, suicide and overall mortality.

Bobby Persinger, deputy executive director of the Prevention Action Alliance, contended much more awareness is needed about the effects of marijuana.

"A lot of people are under the impression that marijuana use or cannabis use is harmless," said Persinger. "It is not harmless. There are risks associated with cannabis use disorder, especially in young people and those who experience some sort of mental health diagnosis."

The study found the risk for self-harm was three times higher, all-cause mortality was 59% higher, unintentional overdose was more than two times higher, and homicide was more than three times higher.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology, teenage marijuana use is at its highest level in three decades.

But pro-cannabis organization NORML argues that other research shows no measurable difference in adolescent marijuana use over the past two decades.

Persinger said marijuana slows down the brain's processing, impacting basic functioning.

"It slows your thinking capabilities, it slows your reaction time," said Persinger. "If you already have a chemical imbalance because you have a diagnosis of depression, cannabis is going to further deter healthy and happy and safe decision making processes. "

Persinger noted that cannabis use could worsen the symptoms of mood disorder among teens, or interfere with treatments.

"We always talk about those moody teenagers, but when we're talking about mood disorders those are clinically diagnosable conditions," said Persinger. "Most commonly you think about things like depression or anxiety."

Research on medical marijuana use in the field of psychiatry is evolving, and there are indications it is beneficial in treating anxiety, PTSD and insomnia.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Some New Hampshire cities saw more drug overdoses in May than they have since before the pandemic, and advocates are urging policymakers to keep their eye on the ball in fighting the opioid crisis.

Chris Stawasz, Northeast director of government affairs for American Medical Response, which provides ambulance service for Manchester and Nashua, said the rise is concerning, and while the pandemic has rightfully taken a lot of the public health focus, it's critical to maintain support for addiction treatment programs, for example, "Safe Stations," which are firehouses where people seeking recovery can go, and a trained firefighter will connect them with services.

"Some of the other pieces that go along with that are recovery-friendly workplaces," Stawasz explained. "So that people can have a job as they enter recovery, and affordable, safe housing so that people are not going back to the same situations that they were in."

He pointed to data that showed May saw 72 suspected opioid overdoses in Manchester and Nashua alone, more than any other month since June 2019, as well as increased visits to Manchester Safe Stations.

He noted the pandemic has also posed challenges for getting timely treatment and finding a job, when someone dealing with addiction is ready.

Stawasz added more than 40% of overdose patients his company encountered in Manchester had already been given a dose of Narcan, a medicine to treat overdoses in emergency situations.

He contended that means efforts to increase access to Narcan have been working.

"That's a lifesaver, in no uncertain terms," Stawasz asserted. "That's saved, I'm sure, hundreds of lives because of what people have done with that. And we would encourage that to continue."

Stawasz added Narcan is an important resource for family members and loved ones of people dealing with addiction. And he pointed out it is available at local pharmacy chains without a prescription.

AUGUSTA, Maine - As Maine's legislative session nears an end, groups are urging lawmakers to prioritize making mental health and substance-use services available to children and teens without having to leave their town - or the state.

There is currently only one agency in Maine that operates an adolescent residential treatment program for substance use.

Greg Bowers, who is the CEO of the program - known as Day One - said it's key to meet young people where they are. That may be at school, through a primary-care office, traditional treatment space - or even at home.

"How do we meet kids early on, intervene early," asked Bowers, "so that we don't end up in situations where families or youths aren't being seen soon enough and end up in the justice system, or hospitals?"

A bill in the Maine Legislature would require the Department of Health and Human Services to work to develop more services for youth with substance-use treatment needs, including 'detox' beds in hospitals and intensive outpatient services.

Bowers said Day One has worked with courts and the juvenile-justice system to offer a path to recovery and treatment instead of commitment or other punitive measures.

He said there are a number of barriers to treatment for young people. Adolescents can sometimes be more resistant to it; substance-use can often be grounded in trauma; or a parent or other family member could be an active user.

"And there's also a lot of stigma, still," asked Bowers. "Families or communities or schools that may not fully realize, or even care to admit, that there's a significant problem."

The limited capacity of treatment options sometimes means families have to seek help out-of-state.

Bowers noted within the state's HHS, education and corrections departments, there are existing resources for mental-health and substance-use care, but these efforts can be siloed or fragmented.

In addition to new funding, he said he thinks efforts should be made to better coordinate the existing funding.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Groups working to prevent substance misuse said immediate action is needed to stem the surge of young people vaping marijuana.

In a 2020 federal drug survey, one in five 10th and 12th graders said they had vaped marijuana in the past-year. While that's about the same as 2019, it's still nearly double the rate from 2017.

Fran Gerbig, executive director of the Prevention Action Alliance and a Certified Prevention Consultant, contended there are legitimate health risks with vaping, including the harmful substances used in vaping fluid, and the risk of vaping-related lung injury.

"Then you add the components of marijuana," Gerbig explained. "Not only are you impacting the lung, you're impacting the cognitive ability of that person, you're impacting the potential risk of developing significant mental-health illnesses and challenges."

She pointed out decision-making, memory and concentration can be affected for days after marijuana use. This is National Prevention Week, with Wednesday specifically focused on preventing illicit drug use and youth marijuana use.

A recent study revealed the more youths are exposed to videos with any electronic cigarettes, the more likely they are to use the product.

Gerbig emphasized the pandemic removed some of the protective factors that kept youths away from vaping and marijuana, while enhancing some risk factors.

"Their abilities to socialize were limited and because of that we saw boredom, we saw increased stress and anxiety and depression," Gerbig outlined. "And a time on their hands where they could be on social media to see vaping being modeled. I really think it took the wind out of some of the prevention work that was happening."

Gerbig noted vaping during the pandemic is especially troubling, since COVID-19 attacks the respiratory system.

She added everyone has a role in prevention, and encouraged parents, teachers and other trusted adults to be proactive in educating youths about the dangers of substance use.

"Young people are smart," Gerbig asserted. "And if they're provided with good data and understand the expectations that their parents and other caring adults have, they're very likely to listen and to follow suit."

Prevention Action Alliance has online substance-misuse resources, including fact sheets with information on vaping marijuana.