Pot Lowers I.Q. by 8 Points – PERMANENTLY
Teenage Cannabis Smoking ‘Permanently Lowers IQ’
Teenagers who regularly smoke cannabis are putting themselves at risk of permanently damaging their intelligence, according to a landmark study.
Starting smoking cannabis during one’s teens can have permanent effects on the brain, found researchers.
July 27, 2012
Researchers found persistent users of the drug, who started smoking it at school, had lower IQ scores as adults.
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Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from childhood to midlifeThey were also significantly more likely to have attention and memory problems in later life, than their peers who abstained.
Furthermore, those who started as teenagers and used it heavily, but quit as adults, did not regain their full mental powers, found academics at King’s College London and Duke University in the US.
Brain Changes are Associated with Casual Marijuana Use in Young Adults
Society for Neuroscience | April 15, 2014
Preliminary study suggests effects of drug even in those who are not addicted
Washington, DC — The size and shape of two brain regions involved in emotion and motivation may differ in young adults who smoke marijuana at least once a week, according to a study published April 16 in The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings suggest that recreational marijuana use may lead to previously unidentified brain changes, and highlight the importance of research aimed at understanding the long-term effects of low to moderate marijuana use on the brain.
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, with an estimated 18.9 million people reporting recent use, according to the most current analysis of the National Survey on Drug Use and Mental Health. Marijuana use is often associated with motivation, attention, learning, and memory impairments. Previous studies exposing animals to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the main psychoactive component of marijuana — show that repeated exposure to the drug causes structural changes in brain regions involved with these functions. However, less is known about how low to moderate marijuana use affects brain structure in people, particularly in teens and young adults.
Teen pot use could hurt brain and memory, new research suggests
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/teen-pot-use-could-hurt-brain-memory-new-research-suggests-2D11741988
Brian Alexander, NBC News
Dec. 16, 2013
Teenage pot smokers could be damaging brain structures critical to memory and reasoning, according to new research that found changes in the brains of heavy users.
PABLO PORCIUNCULA / AFP – Getty Images
New research shows young pot smokers could be damaging brain structures critical to memory and reasoning.
Research released Monday in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin showed the brains of young heavy marijuana users were altered in so-called sub-cortical regions — primitive structures that are part of the memory and reasoning circuits. And young people with such alterations performed worse on memory tests than non-using controls, despite the fact that the heavy users had not indulged for more than two years, on average, before the testing.
“We see that adolescents are at a very vulnerable stage neurodevelopmentally,” said Matthew Smith, who led the research team at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “And if you throw stuff into the brain that’s not supposed to be there, there are long-term implications for their development.”
The portion of people ages 12 to 17 who used marijuana during the past month fell to 9.5 percent last year from almost 12 percent in 2002, according to the latest figures from the government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. But that still represents millions of adolescents and teenagers — and the legalization of marijuana has raised the specter that underage people will have easier access. Continue reading →
America ill-prepared for marijuana mayhem
www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/10/america-ill-prepared-for-marijuana-mayhem/
By Dr. Keith Ablow – January 10, 2014 – FoxNews.com
With many states legalizing medical marijuana, and Colorado legalizing recreational marijuana, we are about to learn what I already know as a practicing psychiatrist: Marijuana is not harmless and will lead many millions of people into addiction, depression, psychosis, anxiety and lack of motivation.
I support legalizing marijuana, because I do not support the government making the decision whether people use it or not.
I also don’t like jailing people for the same behavior (drug use) that so many of our elected officials have engaged in. And I believe strongly that, in carefully selected cases, marijuana (and other potentially addictive drugs, by the way) can be very useful, medically.
Here’s the big trouble, though: We are way behind the curve educating people about the risks of marijuana abuse and dependence—which could cost us many billions of dollars and ruin many, many lives.
I know this sounds alarmist, but it is true, and we are completely unprepared for the fallout.
Research studies show that cannabis users are at a 40 percent increased risk of psychosis. Research studies show that marijuana may well be a risk factor for schizophrenia, depression and anxiety disorders.
And research shows that marijuana is linked to a syndrome in which people have little motivation to pursue goals and interests that they once found compelling. Continue reading →
Potential for heart attack, stroke risk seen with marijuana use
latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-heart-attack-stroke-marijuana-20140423,0,3208786.story
By Melissa Healy | April 23, 2014, 4:35 p.m.
Over a five-year period, a government-mandated tracking system in France showed that physicians in that country treated 1,979 patients for serious health problems associated with the use of marijuana, and nearly 2% of those encounters were with patients suffering from cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, cardiac arrhythmia and stroke, and circulation problems in the arms and legs. In roughly a quarter of those cases, the study found, the patient died.
Does smoking pot cause man [breasts]?
By Dr. Anthony Youn, CNN Contributor
December 5, 2013
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/05/health/youn-pot-moobs/
Editor’s note: Dr. Anthony Youn is a plastic surgeon in metro Detroit. He is the author of “In Stitches,” a humorous memoir about growing up Asian-American and becoming a doctor.
Many plastic surgeons tell men with gynecomastia, or “man [breasts],” to stop smoking pot.
“Dr. Youn,” he says, “I have man [breasts].”
I notice a not-so-unfamiliar smell wafting from his body. It’s the same odor that floated my way during a rock concert I recently attended.
“How long have you had a problem with this, George?”
“Hard to say. But it seems to have gotten worse over the past year or so.”
“George, the first thing you need to do is stop smoking pot. Marijuana could be causing your man [breasts].”
Gynecomastia, otherwise known as man [breasts] (or moobs for short), is a condition that affects approximately 33% to 41% of men between the ages of 25 and 45. It’s even more common during puberty, affecting 60% of 14-year-old boys. Interestingly, it also affects 55% to 60% of men aged 50 and older.
Although most cases of gynecomastia resolve spontaneously within a few months to a few years, in 2012 nearly 23,000 people underwent surgery to correct the condition. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), it was the fifth-most common cosmetic surgery in men. Continue reading →