CNN (8/14, LaMotte) reports that a survey found that a “majority of American adults say” that “inhaling marijuana smoke” is “safer than inhaling smoke from tobacco,” and “also believe there is less harm to adults and children from secondhand marijuana smoke than tobacco smoke.”
But, HealthDay (8/14, Murez) reports, “the reality is that smoke of any kind isn’t good for your lungs, the study authors stressed.” The researchers “also found that people who were young, 18 to 29, were more likely to move toward the view that cannabis was safer compared to those surveyed who were aged 60 or older.” Meanwhile, “being unmarried was also more aligned with a view that cannabis was safer.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Many Americans wrongly believe exposure to marijuana smoke is safer than tobacco, study finds,”Sandee LaMotte, CNN, August 14, 2023

CNN (8/15, Bracho-Sanchez) reports, “Latino children who live in states with harsher laws that apply to immigrants and systemic prejudice against them are more likely to experience mental health or chronic physical health conditions, according to a new study.” The findings were published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Health of Latino children worse in states with anti-immigrant attitudes and policies, new study says,”Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN, August 15, 2023

KFF Health News (8/14, Rayasam) reports, “A national shortage of mental” healthcare clinicians, “and the search for affordable care, has exacerbated strain on parents, often the primary caregivers who maintain the health and well-being of their children,” a “day-to-day struggle” that “has led to its own health crisis, say psychologists, researchers, and advocates for families.” Even “as parents navigate the mental health care system’s shortcomings, stress can start to take a physical and mental health toll that disrupts their ability to continue providing care, said Christine Crawford, the associate medical director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an advocacy group that helps families find care.” Parents focus their energies into helping their children, “often at the expense of their own health, Crawford said.”

Related Links:

— “Parents See Own Health Spiral as Their Kids’ Mental Illnesses Worsen,”Renuka Rayasam, KFF Health News, August 14, 2023

Psychiatric News (8/11) reported, “Taking lithium may significantly reduce the risk of psychiatric hospitalization for people who have major depressive disorder” (MDD) “or bipolar disorder” (BD), according to the findings of a 260-patient study published online ahead of print in the November issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Lithium May Reduce Psychiatric Hospitalizations in People With Bipolar, Major Depressive Disorder, Psychiatric News, August 11, 2023

According to Bloomberg Law (8/11, Subscription Publication), HHS “has awarded over $88 million to grant programs to develop school-based mental health programs and to increase access to substance use disorder treatments,” the department announced on Aug. 11.

Related Links:

— “HHS Allocates Over $88 Million to Youth Mental Health Programs, Bloomberg Law, August 11, 2023