Diane Calello, MD, Represents MSNJ at Synthetic Medical Marijuana Press Conference

Diane Calello, MD, represented the Medical Society of New Jersey at a press conference held in Trenton on Wednesday, February 29 as Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced a comprehensive statewide ban on all types of synthetic marijuana, which was issued by the Division of Consumer Affairs.  According to reported data, between 2010 and 2011 the number of synthetic marijuana exposures reported to poison control centers jumped by an alarming rate of 139 percent nationwide and 711 percent in New Jersey alone. A recent nationwide study funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse shows synthetic marijuana is the third most commonly abused drug by American high school seniors, after marijuana and prescription drugs.

Dr. Calello is a medical toxicologist at the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System in Newark, NJ, and an attending physician in the Emergency Department at Morristown Medical Center/Atlantic Health System. She spoke on the effects of synthetic cannabinoids and the serious risk they pose to public health and safety.