How could cannabis alter the teenage brain?

BBC news health ^ | august 28, 2012 | james gallagher

[muawiyah]

"When a teenager smokes cannabis are they permanently damaging their brain and dulling their intellect for a lifetime?

The dangers of smoking cannabis, and the potential health benefits, have been a source of controversy for many years.

The latest study on the drug suggested heavy and prolonged cannabis smoking as a teenager resulted in a permanently lower IQ. You can read Dominic Hughes's report on the findings here.

But how could cannabis have this effect on the brain and why might teenagers be particularly susceptible?"

[Wolfie]

Ah yes...for the chiiiiiiilldren!

[longtermmemmory]

never seen a pothead of old that is “just fine” today.

[longtermmemmory]

Dave’s not heere maaaannnnnn....

(/s)

[Suz in AZ]

I can pick out certain pot users because they have a specific subtle lisp in their speech. I can’t quite pinpoint what it is exactly, but I know it when I hear it.

[huldah1776]

Abnormal psych texts at the library will tell you that long term pot smoking causes the same damage as doing LSD and can cause you to become psychotic.

What is so unexpected about long term damage with anything that effects your brain? Seriously? No blood goes into the brain, but lots of other stuff gets in. It’s really rather remarkable.

[muawiyah]

Then how do you explain the existence of Democrats?

[Lexington Green]

Booze is far more harmful.

[Bigg Red]

Exactly.

Same goes for porn — much more potent today in the form of online porn.

[Lexington Green]

Booze is far more harmful.

[Bigg Red]

Excellent point!

[theDentist]

Well, I didn’t until my late teens thru 20’s. And while at the time I saw no real problem, looking back later I realized how much ambition it killed. I wanted to make enough money to keep my car on the road, pay the rent and buy more pot. I didn’t care about raises, getting into a better job, learning more. It just killed ambition to be more than I was. And in my present job I still feel like I’m 5 years behind in my knowledge than I should be.

[muawiyah]

Booze being harmful doesn't make mJ less harmful than it already is.

Flipping through the comments I can see the toll MJ takes.

[Valpal1]

You are comparing apples and oranges, i.e. group performance/standard deviation and individual performance.

Individual performance does not have a standard deviation of 15. Losing 8% in the transition from teenager to prime adulthood indicates pathology.

It is normal for an individual to perform better on IQ tests in prime adulthood than they did as teens.

[fungoking]

I teach AP Psych, the instructor at a workshop said that he had read an article that claimed that increased drug use while the brain is still developing contribute to the increase in later adult schizophrenia cases. On 1 level is does make sense but he didn't have the article and I have not been able to find it.

[Ancesthntr]

As people get older, it becomes more difficult to focus and the quality of their memory decreases.

Otherwise known as CRS disease. :>)

[MamaTexan]

Then how do you explain the existence of Democrats?

Do you REALLY think FR has enough bandwidth to discuss that subject?

;-)

[huldah1776]

Could have been an article in a journal? Does your school have access to ebscohost databases?

[ansel12]

When I look at the parts of the world that have used Cannabis and Hashish for thousands of years, and compare them to the parts of the world that have used alcohol for thousands of years, I don’t see that.

[JustSayNoToNannies]

Since teens report that they can get pot more easily than beer or cigarettes, it looks like the most effective way to keep pot out of teens' hands (and still-developing brains) is to legalize it for adults - so sellers have an incentive not to sell to kids (namely, the loss of their legal adult sales).

[muawiyah]

Then we can start sending adults to prison for contributing to the delinquency of minors by buying them mj.

Wasn't the pot selling side concerned with that issue?