I have recently been curious about the message that this teen generation is
hearing about the glories of marijuana use. Moreover, is seems to me that this
cohort is being bombarded with images from the movies and television of every day
cannabis use with little appreciation for the consequences to the brain, specifically
the growing brain of an adolescent. Most recently I have personally seen the
overwhelming depression and loss of interest of young people days and sometimes
weeks after casual use. Recent studies confirmed my reservations.
Although marijuana use is often dismissed as a benign rite of passage among
young people, many researchers note that the high rate of use is concerning, given
that the brains of high school students are still developing. The most detailed study
yet of the drug’s long-term effects shows that those who start a weed habit as teens
enter middle age with a significant deficit in IQ compared to non-users. Although
evidence is growing that cannabis-based drugs can benefit health suspicions remain
that persistent cannabis use from an early age can have a detrimental effect on
cognition (thinking).
Recently, Madeline Meier at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and
her colleagues have taken the long view. They used a detailed health study, which
followed 1000 people in Dunedin, New Zealand, from birth until age 38. The data
allowed them to compare IQ tests taken by the participants at age 13 – before any of
them began using cannabis – with the same participants’ IQ scores as adults, in some
cases after years of cannabis use. The study showed that those who developed the
most persistent dependence on the drug showed the greatest subsequent decline in
IQ regardless of how early the habit began. Within that group, those who began
taking the drug before their 18th birthday saw a subsequent decline in IQ.
Furthermore, friends and relatives close to the persistent cannabis users reported
that these users had more everyday memory and attention problems, including
forgetting to pay bills and misplacing common items like keys and wallets.
The bad news is that the damage does not appear to be reversed after
dropping the habit. Although previous research has hinted at the potential impacts
of cannabis on the adolescent brain, this study is the first to provide evidence that
cannabis does in fact have neurotoxic effects on young brains, says Meier. Meier
also went on to say that both short- and long-term memory was affected by
cannabis use.
Other researchers like Ty Schepis have also raised concerns about adolescent
marijuana use:
“There is considerable evidence that it’s not just an innocent sort of thing,”
said the lead author, Ty S. Schepis, assistant professor of psychology at Texas
State University in San Marcos. “This is a period of strong change in the brain.
We’re very concerned that marijuana alters the ways in which adolescent
brains normally mature, particularly among heavy users.”
If you are concerned that your teen is using cannabis and that their mood
and thinking is being altered call Alina Gastesi-de Armas, a Licensed Mental Health
Counselor and the owner of A Place for Growth, a private practice in Davie, Florida.
Call now 954-384-9373.
