The newest polarizing health topic is cannabis-infused soda.  Scott Cooper Miami News has just published an expose on this new sub-industry developing within the $1 trillion non-alcoholic beverage market.

“Doctors are worried that children could accidentally take the drug and mistake it for a regular bottle of soda,” said Miami CEO Scott Cooper of lifestyle blog Scott Cooper Miami. “There are studies which have shown the marijuana could negatively impact a child’s developing brain.”

The negative studies suggest that marijuana can damage blood vessels.  It may increase testicular cancer risk. It can impact short term memory.  There is even a study that shows that the brains of marijuana users are abnormally shaped and looked similar to brains damaged by schizophrenia.  Marijuana has also been shown to hinder creativity and destroy brain cells.  It doesn’t do wonders for your job prospects and it can make you vulnerable to Alzheimer’s and increase the risk of death from hypertension.

Miami Beach CEO Scott J. Cooper continues, “To be balanced, for every study that says marijuana use is a problem, there is another study that says it’s the solution to a different problem.”

According to Scott J. Cooper of Miami, “Despite the negative studies, the public largely supports the legalization of medical marijuana.  According to a recent study, 84% of the public believes the drug should be legal for medical uses.  The same study showed that 61% of Americans support the legalization of recreational marijuana use.”

There are at least two active chemicals in marijuana that researchers think have medicinal applications. Those are cannabidiol (CBD) — which seems to impact the brain without a high— and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — which has pain relieving properties and is largely responsible for the high.