York Regional Police tweeted on Tuesday that marijuana doesn’t increase the growth of breasts in men after one of its officers told high school students at a panel last week that “doobies make boobies.”

“We’re no health experts, but we’re pretty sure getting high does not cause enhanced mammary growth in men,” York police tweeted. “We are aware of the misinformation about cannabis that was unfortunately provided to the community by our officers. We’re working to address it.”

At a meeting last week at its Aurora headquarters, the York Catholic school board gathered students to give them a chance to ask experts about the drug, with recreational marijuana use becoming legal this summer.

Representatives from York Regional Police, public health and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health were there to discuss the effects of pot use.

Some critics were quick to point out what they said was misinformation after a transcript appeared in the Aurora Banner.

Nigel Cole, a drug recognition officer with York Regional Police, is quoted in the transcript as telling students “there are studies that marijuana lowers your testosterone; we call it ‘doobies make boobies.’ We’re finding 60 per cent of 14-year-olds are developing ‘boobies.’ ”

“Smoking marijuana does not give you (larger) breasts,” Dr. John Harrison, the chief scientific officer of TeamMD, a holistic wellness team based in Toronto, told the Star in an interview.

“Marijuana does impact hormones but by no means does it give anyone breasts. That’s what you call knowledge going the wrong way. There’s no scientific basis that I know of.”

According to Harrison, “millions of men smoke marijuana and you don’t see millions of men walking around with pronounced breast tissue. The comment defies common sense.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, a renowned medical research group based in Rochester, Minn., marijuana is just one of several substances that can cause gynecomastia, which is the swelling of breast tissue in males due to an “imbalance of the hormones estrogen and testosterone.”

The clinic’s website also states that alcohol and street drugs such as amphetamines, heroin and methadone can result in the swelling of breasts among males.

Medications such as anti-androgens used to treat prostate enlargement can also cause breast enlargement, along with antibiotics, chemotherapy and heart medications.

Cole also said half of a joint “is equivalent to seven alcoholic beverages,” and stated that users would not be able to walk in a straight line, or touch a finger to their nose after smoking.

Harrison said it’s unclear where the officer is “pulling these numbers from.”

“Any average person that has seven drinks is legally intoxicated,” Harrison said. “There are lots of factors that go into how much marijuana is etching your lungs. No amount of THC can intoxicate you like alcohol because the compounds are different. Anyone who has taken in cannabis use will tell you that half a joint does not equal seven drinks.”

Harrison said cannabis “definitely” affects development but to what extent is unclear.

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“Recreational only, I would advise teenagers to not smoke and if they are, do it in moderation because it definitely does impact development,” Harrison said. “The brain is developing into their 20s.”

York Regional Police said Tuesday they are aware of the comments at the student panel, and will be looking to address them with the officer.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct that TeamMD is based in Toronto.