The Authors’ Own Words:
We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.
Public health messages about perinatal marijuana use in an evolving policy context
Marian Jarlenski, PhD, MPH; Jennifer Zank, M; Jill Tarr; & Judy C. Chang, MD, MPH
Substance Abuse Vol. 38, Iss. 1, 2017
“U.S. states are rapidly moving to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use. For example, California, the world’s sixth largest economy, recently approved recreational marijuana use. We conducted a systematic content analysis of all U.S. state public health agency websites and 5 federal public health agency website to assess communications about perinatal marijuana use. We find that the volume of public health messages about perinatal marijuana use is low, content of messages differs across state agencies. Because the public is already being exposed to marketing messages as marijuana is commercialized, It will be important for public health agencies to develop evidence-based communications for both the lay public and health care providers. Such communications should be unbiased and regularly updated to reflect the state of the science on perinatal marijuana use.“
Follow us on twitter to stay up to date with SAj, upcoming publications, and more!