Marijuana Use Shrinks Teenagers' Brains

[Restorium2]

Marijuana use shrinks teenagers' brains

New York August 11, 2014 Last Updated at 11:50 IST

 

 

Frequent marijuana use among teenagers can lead to cognitive decline, poor attention and memory and decreased intelligence quotient (IQ), psychologists warn.

 

Abnormalities in the brain's grey matter, which is associated with intelligence, have been found in 16- to 19-year-olds who increased their marijuana use.

 

"It needs to be emphasised that regular cannabis use is not safe and may result in addiction and neurocognitive damage, especially in youth," said Krista Lisdahl, director of the brain imaging and neuropsychology lab at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

 

Brain imaging studies of regular marijuana users have shown significant changes in their brain structure, particularly among adolescents, Lisdahl added.

 

People who have become addicted to marijuana can lose an average of six IQ points by adulthood.

 

Countries must consider regulating levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the major psychoactive chemical in marijuana - in order to reduce potential neurocognitive effects, researchers emphasised.

 

THC is responsible for most of marijuana's psychological effects.

 

Previous research has shown that frequent use of high potency THC can increase risk of acute and future problems with depression, anxiety and psychosis.

 

"This relationship between marijuana and mental illness may be moderated by how often marijuana is used and potency of the substance," claimed Alan Budney from Dartmouth College in the US.

 

The psychologists discussed public health implications of marijuana at the American Psychological Association's 122nd annual convention this week.

 

http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/marijuana-use-shrinks-teenagers-brains-experts-114081100178_1.html

[Restorium2]

People who have become addicted to marijuana can lose an average of six IQ points by adulthood.

If you have ever taken an IQ test you would understand how ignorant it is to say that someone 'lost' 6 IQ points in this way. There was no scientific study that came to that conclusion. Maybe a study, but not scientific.

[Restorium2]

Countries must consider regulating levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the major psychoactive chemical in marijuana - in order to reduce potential neurocognitive effects, researchers emphasised.

I'll bet the alcohol lobbyists had a hand in this. Pickle heads.

[Willy]

If they think they can show it..... were's the study.. don't see a link any were.. .. they likely made it up..  going to church, has a negative effect on the size of the brain as well.. it becomes narrowly opinionated .. That's pretty potential as well.. guess that explains our presidents, over the last 20yrs... more save the children BS,,, six IQ points,, lol thats a big amount,, cause its larger than five... my my ... 

 

And right below it in the small print is....  How marijuana shrinks cancerous tumours  duh,, rather be alive and dumb then dead and one time smart...

Edited August 11, 2014 by Willy

[I wood]

Reading unsubstantiated studies and believing them, lowers your IQ by twenty points at least.

[AmishRnot4ganja]

If they think they can show it..... were's the study.. don't see a link any were.. .. they likely made it up..  going to church, has a negative effect on the size of the brain as well.. it becomes narrowly opinionated .. That's pretty potential as well.. guess that explains our presidents, over the last 20yrs... more save the children BS,,, six IQ points,, lol thats a big amount,, cause its larger than five... my my ... 

 

And right below it in the small print is....  How marijuana shrinks cancerous tumours  duh,, rather be alive and dumb then dead and one time smart...

It would make for an informative discussion if  someone would measure the decrease in IQ associated with teaching religious fundamentalism instead of science to impressionable young minds. Would they consider limiting the amount of religious hogwash that can be fed to adolescents?

 

Umm...I doubt it.

[Restorium2]

Alcohol and the Developing Brain

Alcohol can cause alterations in the structure and function of the developing brain, which continues to mature into a person’s mid 20s, and it may have consequences reaching far beyond adolescence.

 

In adolescence, brain development is characterized by dramatic changes to the brain’s structure, neuron connectivity (i.e., “wiring”), and physiology. These changes in the brain affect everything from emerging sexuality to emotionality and judgment.

 

Not all parts of the adolescent brain mature at the same time, which may put an adolescent at a disadvantage in certain situations. For example, the limbic areas of the brain mature earlier than the frontal lobes. The limbic areas regulate emotions and are associated with an adolescent’s lowered sensitivity to risk. The frontal lobes are responsible for self-regulation, judgment, reasoning, problem-solving, and impulse control. Differences in maturation among parts of the brain can result in impulsive decisions or actions and a disregard for consequences.

 

How Alcohol Affects the Brain

 

Alcohol affects an adolescent’s brain development in many ways. The effects of underage drinking on specific brain activities are explained below.

 

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. Alcohol can appear to be a stimulant because, initially, it depresses the part of the brain that controls inhibitions.

 

CEREBRAL CORTEX—Alcohol slows down the cerebral cortex as it works with information from a person’s senses.

 

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM—When a person thinks of something he wants his body to do, the central nervous system—the brain and the spinal cord—sends a signal to that part of the body. Alcohol slows down the central nervous system, making the person think, speak, and move slower.

 

FRONTAL LOBES—The brain’s frontal lobes are important for planning, forming ideas, making decisions, and using self-control.

 

When alcohol affects the frontal lobes of the brain, a person may find it hard to control his or her emotions and urges. The person may act without thinking or may even become violent.

 

Drinking alcohol over a long period of time can damage the frontal lobes forever.

 

HIPPOCAMPUS—The hippocampus is the part of the brain where memories are made.

 

When alcohol reaches the hippocampus, a person may have trouble remembering something he or she just learned, such as a name or a phone number. This can happen after just one or two drinks.

Drinking a lot of alcohol quickly can cause a blackout—not being able to remember entire events, such as what he or she did last night.

If alcohol damages the hippocampus, a person may find it hard to learn and to hold on to knowledge.

CEREBELLUM—The cerebellum is important for coordination, thoughts, and awareness. A person may have trouble with these skills when alcohol enters the cerebellum. After drinking alcohol, a person’s hands may be so shaky that they can’t touch or grab things normally, and they may lose their balance and fall.

 

HYPOTHALAMUS—The hypothalamus is a small part of the brain that does an amazing number of the body’s housekeeping chores. Alcohol upsets the work of the hypothalamus. After a person drinks alcohol, blood pressure, hunger, thirst, and the urge to urinate increase while body temperature and heart rate decrease.

 

MEDULLA—The medulla controls the body’s automatic actions, such as a person’s heartbeat. It also keeps the body at the right temperature. Alcohol actually chills the body. Drinking a lot of alcohol outdoors in cold weather can cause a person’s body temperature to fall below normal. This dangerous condition is called hypothermia.

 

Sources

Office of the Surgeon General. (2007). The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking (PDF 1.41MB) Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Office of the Surgeon General. (2007). The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking: A Guide for Families (PDF 900KB) Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Reach Out Now Teach-In Lesson Plan.

http://www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov/families/facts/brain.aspx

[t-pain]

marijuana makes you lose 6 IQ points so if any teenagers ever use marijuana we should lock them up in prison, put them on probation, remove access to student loans and federal housing and make it way more difficult for them to get a job because a marijuana conviction will show up on a background check forever.

 

we should also focus mostly on black and latino teenagers because of racism.

 

makes sense to me.

 

Edited August 11, 2014 by t-pain

[Chauncy Gardner]

Marijuana Religious Fundamentalism use shrinks teenagers' brains

New York August 11, 2014 Last Updated at 11:50 IST

 

 

Frequent marijuana use of religious fundamentalism among teenagers can lead to cognitive decline, poor attention and memory and decreased intelligence quotient (IQ), psychologists warn.

 

Abnormalities in the brain's grey matter, which is associated with intelligence, have been found in 16- to 19-year-olds who increased their marijuana use of religious fundamentalism

 

"It needs to be emphasised that regular cannabis use of religious fundamentalism is not safe and may result in addiction and neurocognitive damage, especially in youth," said Krista Lisdahl, director of the brain imaging and neuropsychology lab at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

 

Brain imaging studies of regular marijuana religious fundamentalism users have shown significant changes in their brain structure, particularly among adolescents, Lisdahl added.

 

People who have become addicted to marijuana religious fundamentalism can lose an average of six IQ points by adulthood.

 

Countries must consider regulating levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) bullshitt - the major psychoactive chemical in marijuana religious fundamentalism - in order to reduce potential neurocognitive effects, researchers emphasised.

 

THC  Bullshitt is responsible for most of marijuana's  religious fundamentalism's psychological effects.

 

Previous research has shown that frequent use of high potency THC religious fundamentalism can increase risk of acute and future problems with depression, anxiety and psychosis.

 

"This relationship between marijuana religious fundamentalism and mental illness may be moderated by how often marijuana religious fundamentalism is used and potency of the substance," claimed Alan Budney from Dartmouth College in the US.

 

The psychologists discussed public health implications of marijuana religious fundamentalism at the American Psychological Association's 122nd annual convention this week.

 

http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/marijuana-use-shrinks-teenagers-brains-experts-114081100178_1.html

OK. You can determine the safe level of THC I can have if I can determine the safe level of religion you can have.

 

Substituting the words "Religious Fundamentalism" for "Cannabis" in the above article produces a conclusion that has the same validity as the original piece.

It is a lot easier to find evidence of religion's negative effects on society than it is to find evidence of cannabis' negative effects. It is easier to conclude that religion is bad for society than it is to conclude that cannabis is bad for society.

[Restorium2]

How many kids have you encountered, that smoke marijuana, do not drink alcohol? How do they distinguish the brain damage that we all know drinking causes from that they say occurred because of marijuana use?

They would have had to isolate the kid and force feed marijuana on them to determine the change in IQ was related to marijuana.

[knucklehead bob]

OK. You can determine the safe level of THC I can have if I can determine the safe level of religion you can have.

 

Substituting the words "Religious Fundamentalism" for "Cannabis" in the above article produces a conclusion that has the same validity as the original piece.

It is a lot easier to find evidence of religion's negative effects on society than it is to find evidence of cannabis' negative effects. It is easier to conclude that religion is bad for society than it is to conclude that cannabis is bad for society.

 

This deserves a big , pun intended , AMEN !

[Chauncy Gardner]

How many kids have you encountered, that smoke marijuana, do not drink alcohol? How do they distinguish the brain damage that we all know drinking causes from that they say occurred because of marijuana use?

They would have had to isolate the kid and force feed marijuana on them to determine the change in IQ was related to marijuana.

 

Well, now you are making the American Psychological Association look bad .You aren't supposed to question groups that have  highfalutin', important sounding names. It is just unAmerican to do so.

[knucklehead bob]

Well, now you are making the American Psychological Association look bad .You aren't supposed to question groups that have  highfalutin', important sounding names. It is just unAmerican to do so.

 

I was taught to question authority and not just do as I'm told ! I thought that's what the Nuremburg Trials taught us .   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit:spelling , oops 

Edited August 11, 2014 by knucklehead bob

[I wood]

I was taught to question athority and not just do as I'm told ! I thought that's what the Nuremburg Trials taught us .   

I was never taught that, but picked it up on my own.

My kids question everything though, even me.

They have a healthy skepticism of most authority figures they encounter.

[FranksHotPeppersAndMarijuana]

I don't see where the study controlled for alcohol use. Doesn't look like it did but I don't see any value in suggesting that marijuana users are also alcohol abusers.

 

There was a similar study to this a couple years ago and if memory serves it did control for alcohol use and came out with the same result.  I don't think that just denying the outcome is a good way to go as far as legalization. I think that legalization should be founded on liberty and freedom to choose just like alcohol use. You can't adopt the same tactics as the naysayers which is just to deny there is a problem. Accept there is a problem if there is and then formulate a plan to reduce or eliminate the problem. In other words treat it like alcohol and control who can use it.

[Restorium2]

Exactly, I didn't see a control for alcohol use. I was also thinking that we already have a legal substance, alcohol, that has been proven to do much more harm than what was brought forth in the unscientific study presented with a finding of -6 points on an IQ test, which I assume had a +/- on the accuracy.

 

I wasn't suggesting marijuana users were alcohol abusers, I believe that regular marijuana use prevents alcohol abuse. I suggested that teens in the study that tried marijuana probably also tried alcohol. It's seems likely.

[FranksHotPeppersAndMarijuana]

Do we know that the study was unscientific? I'm not saying it wasn't I am just asking if we know

[Restorium2]

Do we know that the study was unscientific? I'm not saying it wasn't I am just asking if we know

Ever take an IQ test?

[FranksHotPeppersAndMarijuana]

Yes I have. But that wasn't the only measure used in the study.

[Restorium2]

Come on Frank, think with some common sense, how could they possibly have done this scientifically with teen agers. Just walk yourself through it and you will see what I mean.

[Restorium2]

Oh, unless you are clueless about marijuana? I'm assuming you have some experience.

[FranksHotPeppersAndMarijuana]

So any study ever done with teens is useless because they are what?  Too stupid? The study reported changes in brain structure as compared to non users.  It also reported attention and memory problems. If the study used a control group of non users how isn't it scientific? Just because you disagree with an IQ test outcome doesn't make the study invalid because that wasn't the only difference noted. Please think with some common sense.

[Restorium2]

There is no way they linked those changes properly to marijuana usage using teenagers. No way. There's no possible way they could control a study like that. It's hogwash. Even to claim what they did, like they did, shows a biased study.

[FranksHotPeppersAndMarijuana]

There is no way because you said so? I guess I'd like to know why the group of users showed less developed brains and the control didn't?

[Restorium2]

Me too. You would have to take the testimony of teenagers as to which drugs, and alcohol, they took when, to figure it out. Good luck with that. You could probably find some way to prove something you were already looking for.