Weird. Why?
Because I'm a scientist. I do not take a preconceived conclusion and then look for evidence to support it; if what I suspect is true, then the evidence is wherever I look and I do not have to cherry-pick to invent evidence that does not actually exist.
I did, and found no support for your claim about permanent brain damage.
What that tells me is not that you did not find support, but that you do not understand enough about the biology involved to be able to discern when the researchers are talking about permanent brain damage. I think I also had a misunderstanding, in that you had stated something similar in a previous post, after I had linked several articles that do show that permanent brain damage occurs. I had thought you were only referring to the last of the four articles, which strongly suggested that brain damage occurs in the specific condition described in the study but did not establish it. In the first three articles I linked (selected randomly), they very much described permanent brain damage. As a reminder, here are the three again (but not linked):
—https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28614161, “Multiple Cerebral Infarcts in a Young Patient Associated With Marijuana Use.” A cerebral infarct is basically a mini-stroke, which leaves permanent brain damage.
—https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27224247, “Grey Matter Changes Associated with Heavy Cannabis Use: A Longitudinal sMRI Study.” Grey matter changes are a form of brain damage and are most likely permanent, given that the brain does not regenerate.
—https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26849855, “Psychosis following traumatic brain injury and cannabis use in late adolescence.” Psychosis is the result of damage or destruction of small brain structures which have a strong effect on mood and emotion. Thus, it is a form of permanent brain damage.
—https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28557129, “Recreational stimulants, herbal, and spice cannabis: The core psychobiological processes that underlie their damaging effects. Again, I agree that this one article did not establish permanent brain damage. However, given the brain's lack of regeneration capacity, it is highly suggestive of processes that do, in fact, result in permanent brain damage. Since other studies have shown similar effects to have a fairly long duration (they were still present three months after last marijuana use in one study), it is highly likely that they will turn out to be permanent.
I am sorry I did not take the time to explain exactly how those first three articles linked demonstrate permanent brain damage--I had assumed that you knew enough biology to understand without an explanation.
There is no question about the fact that marijuana causes brain damage in developing brains, and I have stated as much many times, in many threads. Its effect in adult brains--in people over age 25 years--is less clear. It causes deficits in brain function, but whether those deficits are evidence of permanent brain damage is still a question.
And now, let me repeat my statement about NORML from a previous post:
Nope, it is still the message pushed by NORML, even if marijuana proponents who keep pushing their agenda at FR try to deny it. I found this statement just minutes ago at the NORML website: "By comparison, marijuana is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose."
That quote from NORML is only one piece of evidence that NORML still promotes marijuana as completely harmless. The other piece of evidence is that it is very difficult to find NORML mention any deleterious effect of marijuana. Nope, a perusal of NORML's website contains a mixture of pro-legalization propaganda, including several assertions that marijuana has a plethora of magic medical effects. NORML does not have to say in exact words that "marijuana is completely safe" for an astute reader to be able to discern that that is their official stance, based on what they do and do not say on their website.
Weird. Why?
Because I'm a scientist. I do not take a preconceived conclusion and then look for evidence to support it; if what I suspect is true, then the evidence is wherever I look
If you're selecting at random, you'll find mostly irrelevance.
I did, and found no support for your claim about permanent brain damage.
What that tells me is not that you did not find support, but that you do not understand enough about the biology involved to be able to discern when the researchers are talking about permanent brain damage.
ROTFL! You keep huffing and puffing, but no houses fall.
In the first three articles I linked (selected randomly), they very much described permanent brain damage.
In young people - which is why I replied, "Stipulated that marijuana, like alcohol (cf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28988578), is bad for developing brains."
I agree that this one article did not establish permanent brain damage.
Good.
Since other studies have shown similar effects to have a fairly long duration (they were still present three months after last marijuana use in one study), it is highly likely that they will turn out to be permanent.
So in your personal dictionary, three months is close to "for life." Fascinating.
And now, let me repeat my statement about NORML from a previous post:
Nope, it is still the message pushed by NORML, even if marijuana proponents who keep pushing their agenda at FR try to deny it. I found this statement just minutes ago at the NORML website: "By comparison, marijuana is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose."
That quote from NORML is only one piece of evidence that NORML still promotes marijuana as completely harmless.
As I've already pointed out, "Nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose" does not mean "harmless."
The other piece of evidence is that it is very difficult to find NORML mention any deleterious effect of marijuana.
Difficult for you, I don't doubt - but I found it easy to find the statement I've already posted to you twice:
"Use of cannabis, to the extent that it impairs health, personal development or achievement, is abuse, to be resisted by responsible cannabis users." - http://norml.org/marijuana/personal/item/principles-of-responsible-use