DR MARC SIEGEL: Americas awful marijuana addiction is spreading from parents to kids

Marijuana is becoming the new alcohol—or worse.And children are paying the price.Not only is cannabis use skyrocketing in this country, with close to 70 million users every year, but parents are increasingly subjecting their children to wafting, intoxicating smoke.A new study from the University of California San Diego, a school based in a state with a big marijuana problem, shows that nationwide approximately 6 million children are living with a parent who uses cannabis most days.MARIJUANA USE RISES SHARPLY AMONG ONE GROUP OF AMERICANS, NEW STUDY FINDSAs I pointed out on "The Ingraham Angle" recently (both host Laura Ingraham and I are highly concerned about the impact of chronic marijuana use), children are twice as likely to use cannabis themselves if they live in a household where a parent is a regular user, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.Cannabis use has more than doubled in the adult population over the past two decades (it’s now over 8%), according to data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information.MARIJUANA USERS MAY FACE HIDDEN DRIVING DANGER THAT STANDARD TESTS CAN MISSCannabis is highly addictive, and the THC content has increased greatly in all its forms, making it more and more dangerous.

Edibles now typically contain up to 10 mg THC per serving, and concentrates and vape cartridges contain 50% to 95% THC (the psychoactive chemical in cannabis).The buds and flowers used for joints, vapes, edibles, and concentrates are now 15 to 25% THC—a few decades ago, the amount was just 1 to 2 percent.Cannabis use has more than doubled in the adult population over the past two decades.

(iStock)Children are the victims here, and the impact starts as early as the womb.Fetal exposure leads to nearly twice the risk of premature birth and a two-and-a-half-times-greater risk of being born underweight or needing immediate medical intervention in the Neonatal ICU.

Yet national data shows that over 5% of pregnant women have used ...