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April 16th, 2014
09:02 AM ET
Casual marijuana use may damage your brainIf you thought smoking a joint occasionally was OK, a new study released Tuesday suggests you might want to reconsider. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, is the first to link casual marijuana use to major changes in the brain. And according to the researchers, the degree of abnormalities is based on the number of joints you smoke in a week. Using different types of neuroimaging, researchers examined the brains of 40 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who were enrolled in Boston-area colleges. Twenty of them smoked marijuana at least once a week. The other 20 did not use pot at all. The marijuana smokers were asked to track their cannabis use for 90 days. All were given high-resolution MRIs, and users and non-users' results were compared. Researchers examined regions of the brain involved in emotional processing, motivation and reward, called the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala. They analyzed volume, shape and density of grey matter - where most cells in brain tissue are located. "I think the findings that there are observable differences in brain structure with marijuana even in these young adult recreational users indicate that there are significant effects of marijuana on the brain," says Dr. Jodi Gilman, lead author and a researcher in the Massachusetts General Center for Addiction Medicine. "Those differences were exposure-dependent, meaning those who used more marijuana had greater abnormalities." More than a third of the group - seven of the 20 - only used pot recreationally once or twice a week. The median use was six joints a week, but there were four people who said they smoked more than 20 joints a week. None of the users reported any problems with school, work, legal issues, parents or relationships, according to Dr. Hans Breiter, co-senior author of the study and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "There's a general idea out there that casual use of marijuana does not lead to bad effects, so we started out to investigate that very directly," Breiter said. "This research with the other studies we have done have led me to be extremely concerned about the effects of marijuana in adolescents and young adults and to consider that we may need to be very careful about legalization policies and possibly consider how to prevent anyone under age 25 to 30 from using marijuana at all." Researchers have long been concerned about the effects of marijuana on the developing brain - teens and adolescents under the age of 25. Preliminary research has shown that early onset smokers are slower at tasks, have lower IQs later in life and even have a higher risk of stroke. Dr. Staci Gruber, director of the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core at McLean Hospital in Boston and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, has conducted numerous studies on marijuana use and brain function. "This data certainly confirms what others have reported with regard to changes in brain structure," she said. "When we consider the findings of the Gilman ... study with our own and other investigations of marijuana use, it's clear that further investigation is warranted, specifically for individuals in emerging adulthood, as exposure during a period of developmental vulnerability may result in neurophysiologic changes which may have long-term implications." Gruber says we need to take a closer look at all pot users whether they smoke once or twice a week or four or time times a week. And she had this advice for adolescents: "Don't do it early–prior to age 16. That's what our data suggests, that regular use of marijuana prior to age 16 is associated with greater difficulty of tasks requiring judgment, planning and inhibitory function as well as changes in brain function and white matter microstructure relative to those who start later." According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2012 nearly 19 million Americans used marijuana. It's the most-used illegal drug in the country and use is increasing among teenagers and young adults. Results of the new study match those of animal studies, authors say, showing that when rats are given tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC - the ingredient in marijuana the gets you high - their brains rewire and new connections are formed. Gilman thinks when people start to become addicted to substances, their brains form these new connections too. "The next important thing to investigate is how these structural abnormalities relate to functional outcomes," she said. "Currently we don't know how much marijuana is safe and I think this study shows that we should be cautious about marijuana use in adolescents and young adults whose developing brain may be even more susceptible to cannabis-induced changes."
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
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Saundra Young seemed to be high when writing this article.
What about the studies on brains for individuals using alcohol and/or tobacco?
Stop playing bully. It's getting very old. Bring yourself with the rest of the "moving forward thinkers" to 2014. We innovate. We take on new responsibilities.
I guess after legalizing alcohol and tobacco though (and throw in prescription drugs), they have all the money they need for themselves. "That isn't what it's all about"
Oh yeah? Then why does no one point fingers at the more harmful ones anymore? Why don't we talk about making those illegal? What's the purpose of those being legal?
Again, it's an actual style of bullying seen here and all around when they pick on cannabis, but fail to look at the bigger issues. Alcohol is more harmful why? "Man made". Cannabis is less harmful why? It comes from the Earth. OUR PLANET.
What exactly did this study prove? Images of the brain are different from pot smokers to non smokers? Different connections are made in the brain? Okay ill accept that but these people still have no idea what any of this actually means. These doctors are taking a small bit of information then stating fact free opinions about what exactly these pictures mean. Sudo-science pushed to the masses by another horribly written article on CNN.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
http://www.leap.cc
I heard these EXACT type of arguements back in the 60's and 70's regarding tobacco use. They dont cause cancer...they aren't harmful to your lungs.... etc etc etc. People will RATIONALIZE anything if it interferes with what they want to believe WITHOUT evidence right Bart? Addiction is a seriously powerful motivator and it is difficult to break.
Soccer mom propaganda...
Bad study – No control group. Also no mention of any observable differences in behavior. We already know brain function is changed by marijuana via cannabinoid receptors. Neurology is very deficient in linking brain function to higher behaviors and has been that way for decades. Motor function has better results but correlating behavioral change due to observations such as this have had little success since these studies were first ramped up in the the 1900's.
There also lacks any mention of a causal link. Without that this study is nothing more than happenstance.
rsgibson, why do you say there's no control group?
"Twenty of them smoked marijuana at least once a week. The other 20 did not use pot at all."
The medical study uses the term abnormalities which does not indicate a bad or good effect. The author of the article uses the term damage your brain. Maybe tabloid news is a more appropriate venue for the author of this article.
My thoughts exactly.
"The next important thing to investigate is how these structural abnormalities relate to functional outcomes," she said. "Currently we don't know how much marijuana is safe and I think this study shows that we should be cautious about marijuana use in adolescents and young adults whose developing brain may be even more susceptible to cannabis-induced changes." Anything that causes physical changes in the brain is wise to be cautious about until/unless the effects of those physical changes are shown to not be harmful.
I'm curious to see a case study using adults over 30. The brain chemistry of people in the age range this test studied is going to change regardless of what they're doing. It's not a good idea for anyone 18-22 especially to do anything like drink, smoke, eat processed foods... I really am curious to know whether cannabis has a marked lasting effect on an adult brain.
Isn't if funny how pot users want to quote every pseudo-scientific study they can latch on to that supports drug use and yet when confronted with real science to the contrary they can't handle it. Very amusing..........
MedicT, I smoke a lot of pot, i have a great job. I don't care what scentists, doctors or you think about it. I smoke cause i like to smoke. why the hell are you guys so concerned by what i do?
BALDERDASH!!
I've smoked pot DAILY for 35+ years. According to the Mensa test, my IQ is 128.
Enough said.
A high IQ score does not ensure sanity. You would know that if your IQ is really that high. I have a high IQ score that is lower than when i'm sober.
Maybe it could have been 140+
35 years....if you used ANY substance for 35 years you would have adverse affects from it. IQ is certainly no measure of intelligence really. Someone with such a high IQ would know that though right? IQ has nothing to do with what you know anyways. You can have a higher IQ than me and I can know much more about any given subject than you because I studied the topic and you didn't so what has IQ to do with this or whether or not you have affects that you don't know about? Usually called denial. Cite your evidence. Personal testimony is NOT evidence
6-20 joints a week is a lot of pot...
I've smoked before, but smoking 20 full joints a week is clearly going to damage you... that's 1000 joints in a year...
1-2 joints a week people, if you want to smoke.
When I was growing up in the late 60's and 70's I smoked tons of weed, 20 to 30 joints in a weekend.
Now I am a professional working in the field of Business data with an IQ over 160.
I did quit pot by the 80's but smoked more than most people ever will.
Pot does change the brain patterns, but then so does alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, sugar, etc.....
Where is the "damage" coming form?
You clearly have no clue what you're talking about, because what you're saying isn't true... at all. The marijuana prohibitionists never lack for a plethora of pure junk science and good old fashioned propaganda to push their agenda, and this article (along with the 'study' if you can even call it that) are further proof of this. Everyone else would do well to ignore this idiots 'advice', in addition to anything this article says. Smoke as much or as little as you want. Don't listen to people who are obviously have an agenda and can't do anything more to achieve it than talk out of their rear ends.
since when is a joint an accepted unit of measurement in medicine. This article is nonsense.
Some people roll big joints......
Yeah and smoking and drinking kills you and can even kill others...big deal. Now let's see the studies on those brains if those users stop for 2 months. Bet you those changes occur only while using vs being permanent...lots of studies done on ling term usage.
But, but, Obama said it was no different than drinking alcohol!
It can't be! No!
So, though no one had a single issue with school, life or the law, let's call the changes "negative". Sounds like a biased study to me.
We're all going to die - maybe quicker than we'd like to think - so why not enjoy ourselves, even if it alters our brain a bit?
Isn't that what the objective is in smoking pot in the first place?
A New Study Suggests Getting Old Affects Your Brain.
How much pot is in a joint? Is it a gram, half of a gram, three grams? Another thing is, was there anything mixed with the pot? This "study" leaves a lot of unanswered questions, more than it answers.
A professor in Mexico conducted a study, and found that marijuana increases the risk of gay acts on healthy males...
this people just don't know what to come up with next to continue the policy of fear.
And the potheads continue the policy of downplaying it.
I though smoking pot causes you to become a democrat.
One professor? You have a source? So one guy said it and we should deem it true? GET REAL!
Smoking weed gave me hangnails.
We've known this for years, now they tell us when averybody wants to legalize it? Next they'll tell us it causes cancer and is addictive. Sorry, we already know that too.
doosh
Why do these people hate pot so much, you can buy enough liquor to kill yourself 30 times over in one purchase, why is pot so bad, oh thats right, it opens you up to all kinds of new ideas, which is bad for the status quo, right
Well I'm over 25. It's too late for me.
Drinking alcohol occasionally may cause damage to your brain.
Casual marijuana use MAY damage your brain.
CNN articles WILL damage your brain.
yes, there are some of us who are dain bramaged.
"None of the users reported any problems with school, work, legal issues, parents or relationships, according to Dr. Hans Breiter, co-senior author of the study and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine."
Did anybody else find that this was the only notable statement within this joke of an article?
Why not study Sarah Palin's uncanny ability to communicate with dung beetles. It has made her the darling of dung lovers everywhere.
Dear pot users,
I fully support your right to smoke weed in the comfort of your home. I feel that the DEA's war against pot is ridiculous. I will vote for a legalization measure both in local and national elections if given the opportunity.
With that said, call articles like this ridiculous at your own peril. It is NEVER a good idea just to think "oh this is nonsense" just because it doesn't fit into your worldview. Remember, smoking cigarettes used to be considered "safe" in the first half of the 20th century. I call on you to take full responsibility for your health and do whatever research into the effects of your smoking that is needed, and then when you smoke you are willing to live with any of the side-effects of that choice.
I have had close friends deal with life debilitating anxiety with weed, and so I have seen first hand the benefits. That doesn't automatically mean there are no downsides. Be smart about your choices. It's your body.
Love,
Bob
Very well said Bob. As an advocate and user myself, this is exactly how I feel. It's all about being smart and educating everyone about it as we take on new responsibilities just like we did with alcohol and tobacco. They should be treated in the same sense. Some have medical benefits. Some don't. Some are a bit more harmful perhaps. Some aren't. It's all up to the user.
Appreciate your honesty and maturity Bob.
Sincerely,
A Fan of Bob 🙂
Damage to your brain as compared to what?
This article means nothing without taking into consideration other currently legal substances available to the general public like: Alcohol, Tobacco, Sugar, etc.
Marijuana make make changes to your brain but the study says nothing on if those changes were negative, positive or inconsequential. In fact, they state that their pot smoking group reported no negative effects with their academic performance or otherwise.
So it changes the natural growth of a certain part of our body. So does ingesting a Protein supplement on our muscles. So what? Come back when you have some real proof.
That is a completely naive and assinine statment. Your "strong muscles" as you liked to use as an example only have an effect on an isolated part of the body. The human brain controls ALL bodily functions including the muscles you speak of. The human brain is a product of millions of years of evolution. Considering it has evolved to let us take our place as the dominant species on this planet I would say that evolution probably got it right and that we should take a "leave good enough alone" policy when it comes to our brain. So if you are doing something that changes the composition of the brain, spefically a crucial component as the amygdala, you probably aren't enhancing its ability.
What about the studies on brains for individuals using alcohol and/or tobacco?
Stop playing bully. It's getting very old. Bring yourself with the rest of the "moving forward thinkers" to 2014. We innovate. We take on new responsibilities.
I guess after legalizing alcohol and tobacco though (and throw in prescription drugs), they have all the money they need for themselves. "That isn't what it's all about"
Oh yeah? Then why does no one point fingers at the more harmful ones anymore? Why don't we talk about making those illegal? What's the purpose of those being legal?
Again, it's an actual style of bullying seen here and all around when they pick on cannabis, but fail to look at the bigger issues. Alcohol is more harmful why? "Man made". Cannabis is less harmful why? It comes from the Earth. OUR PLANET.
Casual alcohol use may damage your brain. Casual cigarette use may damage your brain, and is know to damage your lungs. Where are alcohol and tobacco going to be treated the same as marijuana?
Smoking that bong makes you crazy. But everything crazy in the world today, so you might as well smoke it anyway.
L O L wonder who backed this study
Barry admitted to smoking it in college. That explains a lot about the current administration.
I think tha'ts a palintwit imposter at 11:27.
And Bush did coke and is an alcoholic...what's your point?
Don't waste your time. That's not even the real palintwit @ 11:27.
Potheads will say anything to defend what they are doing just like an alcoholic or any other addict. My mother, step-father and a couple friends have smoked pot for many, many years and they all have excuses and reasons why they smoke...stupid reasons at that. You can't tell me smoking pot doesn't have a harmful long term effect on people. I've watched it effect friends and family in more ways than one. All I have to say is if your only goal in life is to stay stoned or hi then you have some serious character flaws and maybe you should open your eyes and stop looking at life through a straw!
Couldn't agree more....You could ask my brother on his opinion if he were still alive. Died from a drug overdose and his starter drug of choice was pot. I hate the smell. I hate what it does to you. I wish it never existed in the first place.
Sorry about your brother Laura, but pot didn't cause his O.D. Pot is not a gateway drug, it is the easiest to get so it happens to be the one tried first most often. I happen to like the smell and I also think it is a very beautiful plant. Your opinions are no more relevant than mine.
The problem with your statement is that you are generalizing way too much! I too have known many people who smoked weed and people who drank alcohol. Some of the people in each group became miserable useless members of society. Others became brilliant and successful. Mostly though, they have all been in the middle somewhere. This is an issue that is similar to abortion. It will never be resolved to everyone's satisfaction. Just allow drinkers to drink and allow smokers to smoke. And allow those who do neither to do neither. STOP trying to control everyone else!
I believe marijuana users' brains were damaged before they started marijuana usage. Same for all drug users.
So what does abnormality REALLY mean? Just different. There is NO study that shows a lower IQ or memory issues from occasional use. Now they are grasping at straws and a neuroscientist knows better. Einstein had abnormalities in his brain as well and still today no one knows enough about it to analyze what effect it had on his cognitive ability.
"We just don't know how much is safe. It's not harmless. We don't know the harm, but it's not free from harm."
This is a quote from Dr. Jodi Gilman in an article on WebMD regarding the same study. This is just getting too hilarious. We don't know what the harm is or if it's bad...but it's there.
They should test bananas to see "volume, shape and density of grey matter". For all we know bananas are causing all these studies with predetermined outcomes.
Exactly – where was the control group results.
The key word is "may". Anything "may" damage your brain. Watching too many Disney movies "may" damage your brain.
AYE YO JIMMY D DIS JOHNYY D AND YOU STILL UP FOR THAT DITTY BIRD?
Based on some of these responses, they should also look into to an increase in deniability and stubbornness with pot smoking.
The same part of the brain is damaged ,and or repaired when we read books. Every catholic in the world got it from reading the bible .We sometimes call it brainwashing. Weed can do the same thing !
Wow! This article is merely a report on research that is underway. It is not intended to be persuasive–it is just information. It is very interesting to note the emotional reactions it generated, though. That might be an interesting research project in and of itself.
I think your missing the point, the findings of the study and the article have been written in such a way to continue to give Marijuana it's bad reputation. The masses will read this and continue their hatred for Marijuana because they can't think for themselves.
Anyone with half a brain can read the study and this article and identify that there is no story here, the study found nothing conclusive and publishing it's results was simply a ploy to carry on the campaign for keeping Marijuana criminalized.
What a bunch of crap.. "abnormalities" but no adverse effects in school, work , family or legal problems. Then they speculate as to future ramiifications. They clearly had an objective picked out before they began their research. What if those "abnormalities" were actually changes in creativity and empathy. Or something benign all together.. This research is worthless..
Unless they tested the after effects of Marijuana use after a person quits and after a recovery period they are not telling us anything we didn't allready know. Marijuana effects short term memory loss. I do like how they deviously worded the study like they found some new "groundbreaking" bit of info. Legalization is coming like a freight train. Watch the critics scury out of the way while desperately hucking rocks at the train...
I'll put this in my pipe and continue to smoke it.
Reading and trusting CNN ( CIA propaganda machine ) MAY damage your brain. But CNN won't tell you that tidbit. Watch this post disappear in a matter of minutes now. CENSORSHIP IS ALIVE AND WELL IN AMERIKA.
This article says nothing at all--if you eat or drink anything there are measurable changes in the human body--–Ie. if you work out ,there are physical changes in your muscle mass , if you eat an apple your blood sugar rises . There is not one statement in this article that sheds any light at all on what these image changes mean or what their consequences are . And yet they are implying that these changes are somehow dangerous . This belongs in the entertainment portion of the news ! It smells like bull feces to me .
Might have been nice if the author had indicated what the changes in brain structure were as well as the magnitude of the resulting differences.
Very interesting that this article only talks about the negative– what about positive effects like: happier, less pain, more laid back, more "relations".
Testing forty people half of which didn't us marijuana is not a very good test. Marijuana has been researched and tested for decades and still the results are at best foggy. Conclusions that the author made are hers alone not the researchers. I find the whole issue dubious.
Whoa. Who would've thunk that? lol Dies anyone know if the 7-11 on 7th sells Krispy Kremes?
"Gruber says we need to take a closer look at all pot users whether they smoke once or twice a week or four or time times a week."
And that's why you shouldn't smoke pot while writing an article for CNN.
Ever wonder why we called them "potheads"??????
Pot is not good for anyone. I understand true medical usage, but medical usage is not just because you had a bad day and want to get high. Sorry dopers, no sympathy from me. You want to get high, you go for it. All I have ever asked dopers are 1) do not operate equipment or drive a vehicle under the influence, 2) do not sue when you discover it is bad for your health, 3) do not expect me to support you after you no longer can from long term usage, and 4) do not smoke it in public so I do not have to breath that nastiness in my lungs. I have had EXACTLY ONE person agree to those conditions. Speaks volumes about the rest of you users and abusers on dope.
Your post speaks volumes about all of you non-users and abusers! I assume you have talked to everyone on dope and asked them to agree to your conditions.
Nobody is asking for your sympathy! Legalization is coming whether you like it or not. True Americans support life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness whether it gets their panties in a twist or not!! What country are you from?
Seriously?? And you know what...It was a mistake to allow women to vote! That used to be illegal and they made it legal. Now look at the state that the world is in! Everything is a mess everywhere and it's all because we allowed women to vote!!
Sorry Steve, I was not aware that I needed your permission to do any of these things. Next time I get high, I will text you to make sure it's ok if I do some minor brain surgery. Once again, my apologies for not recognizing your authority here.
Guess that explains why I earned two graduate degrees, make $200k a year, and enjoy life. Time now for my breakfast reefer before I go to work.
So you think "social success" equals recovery? No wonder our world is so screwed up. This is the type of thinking that keeps it all going. You probably think climate change isnt real either because you sort your trash. Same type of thinking.