Cannabis and the Developing Brain: Epidemiology, Sequelae, Assessment, and Treatment in Adolescents and Young Adults

2026 Clinician Education Series hosted by The Center for Youth Mental Health at NewYork-Presbyterian Co-sponsored by the Weill Cornell Medicine Academy for Behavioral Health and Continuing Education Free registration: https://www.eeds.com/portal_live_events.aspx?ConferenceID=105467 Please note that registration will close at 11:59pm ET on the day before the event (October 22). 1 CE Credit Hour Available FREE for Psychologists (NY & APA-accepted), Social Workers (NY) and Mental Health Counselors (NY) Learn more CE information: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:us:8a1633e4-408d-49de-94c6-8832... Event Abstract: Cannabis remains the most widely used federally prohibited substance among U.S. adolescents, and the clinical landscape has changed faster than the evidence base guiding our response to it. This presentation opens with national surveillance data, distinguishing prevalence from exposure and explaining why rising potency and the shift toward new methods of cannabis consumption (concentrates and edibles) require further study. It then reviews short- and long-term associations, including acute cognitive and psychomotor impairment, hyperemesis, and psychotic symptoms, alongside longitudinal risk for cannabis use disorder, psychosis onset, mood and suicidality outcomes, and educational attainment. The presentation will then shift to review current assessment and treatment options for cannabis use in young people. Adolescence and young adulthood is a critical time to intervene, as over 90% of people with substance use disorders begin their substance use during adolescence. Unfortunately, the vast majority of adolescents and young adults with substance use disorders go untreated, and they are the least likely age group to receive treatment. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) recently published revised principles for the treatment of adolescent substance use disorders. These include the need for clinicians to intervene as young as possible, to tailor treatment to the individual’s needs, using evidence-based practices including motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral interventions, family interventions, among other items. This presentation will review the rationale for evidence-based treatments, as well as a multicomponent toolkit aimed at helping clinicians use evidenced-based modalities to treat youth and young adults with cannabis misuse. Learning Objectives: 1. Describe national epidemiological trends in cannabis use among youth. 2. Discuss the short- and long-term associations between cannabis use and health and behavioral outcomes in youth. 3. Explain neurobiological changes associated with cannabis use during youth and adolescence. 4. Describe treatment modalities for treating substance use disorders in adolescents and young adults. 5. Compare different approaches for treating substance use disorders and problematic substance use in adolescents and young adults. Featured Presenters: Ryan S. Sultan, M.D. - Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons John Mahlstedt, M.D. - Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine