Arguments about whether smoking cannabis will make you lose your brain cells or make you lose points on your IQ have been debated for a long time. A recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) looked at what long term cannabis use does to the brain. The study used MRI’s and then looked at the images of 48 chronic marijuana users and 62 nonusers. They found that people that smoked often had less volume in their orbitofrontal gyri, and area important in decision making. The effect of cannabis on that part of the brain also plays a part in the addiction/dependence process associated with that particular drug.
What does that mean for long term cannabis users? Even though there is less volume in the orbitofrontal gyri. there also is an increased amount of activity in the orbitofrontal gyri, compensating for the loss. Now the results of the study don’t actually indicated whether or not partaking in cannabis is bad for you but it does create changes in the brain. The effects of the changes depends on age and length of use and is different for everybody.
All this study points to is that there needs to be even more research focused on the effects of drug use to the brain. Finding those effects will help us know even more about drugs and helps us to create better policies and laws about those drugs. The myths surrounding what low risk drugs, like marijuana, do to the brain have to be eradicated. It’s important for all of us to know facts so that we can make all the right decisions. Especially when it comes to things like driving under the influence of cannabis. There are some studies, like the one in the New York Times, that have said that marijuana use does not statistically increase the risk of a crash for drivers. But there is still a risk, driving under the influence of cannabis will still put you at risk for an accident, so driving under the influence of any drug including alcohol should not be condoned or advocated.
There are others studies that have been done that shed some light on why people smoke marijuana. In cases of people that deal with social anxiety, marijuana is used to relax or to help them avoid social situations. So researchers know some of the reasons for drug use and some of the effects but we don’t know everything. Knowing more will help use to make laws and policies that make sense in relation to drugs. It will help us make a safer environment for the communities around us.
How does this study change your thoughts around the myth that smoking marijuana can fry your brain cells? If you were researching about issues of drugs and mental health, what would your research question be and how would you go about answering that question?
First of I want to say I really like your blog topic, I've personally always thought marijuana should be fully legalized but I would also like to hear evidence on both sides of the argument besides "it's bad for you" and "I just wanna smoke weed man". Scientific studies should be used more by both sides to prove their point more effectively. This study proves that marijuana modifies your brain in some way, but that is with chronic use. Chronic alcohol use still seems to be more detrimental to overall health and if I were a researcher I would probably attempt to quantify in some way how much worse alcohol can be for your brain (assuming it is actually worse). What do you think you would most want to research in this field?
ReplyDeleteInteresting research idea. I would definitely like to focus more on the reasons why people smoke, especially with how it relates to emotional and mental health issues. I do think that alcohol use is more detrimental because it not only effects your brain but also your liver and other organs.
DeleteI like the point you made about various reasons that people use marijuana and I think it is important to understand that link. The classic sentence in psychology "correlation does not equal causation" comes to mind for me. Those with social anxiety, depression, emotional problems etc. may be more drawn to marijuana use and thus when tests say marijuana users are more depressed than the average person, people think that the drug makes people depressed, without realizing that it actually helps those that already suffer from depression. Thus my research question would be about the use of marijuana for mentally ill people and the types of symptoms it alleviates, compared to traditional medications.
ReplyDeleteYes your research idea is something that so absolutely be looked into, which is kind of why my blog topic is what it is. Instead of generalizing data and making this large assumptions we should be giving accurate information about drugs and the people that use them.
DeleteThe stigma behind marijuana has always intrigued me. Why is there one, where did it start, and why is it so bad compared to alcohol and cigarettes? I can't imagine why we haven't legalized it yet, why we keep wasting money on putting people into jail. Why not make it legal and pay taxes on it, just like alcohol and cigarettes. All three of these substances cause damage if used in access, even prescription drugs, yet there is nothing stopping the government from making these illegal.
ReplyDeleteAlcohol and prescription drugs all cause problems physically and mentally if used in access and so does marijuana. My research would be to look at the effects marijuana on individuals using it for recreational, medical, or for anxiety reasons, over a ten year period, and see if there is any change in their mental health.
I would also like to see if any at all cause more mental health problems between subjects who drink alcohol, subjects who just smoke marijuana, and subjects who just use prescriptions drugs. Although, there would be a lot variables to this study. Still I wonder which has a bigger effect on the mental health of the person.
I found the study regarding the long-term usage of cannabis interesting. I think with anything we decided to put into our bodies for an extended period of time there will be some sort of effect. People who drink and smoke in large amounts certainly know they are destroying their liver and lungs. I think people who smoke cannabis are well aware of potential effects it may have on their body.
ReplyDeleteAs you mention in your blog, people tend to smoke marijuana for various reasons. It can be for medical or even psychological reason and I think if it helps them cope/ease their pain long term, they should be allow to smoke.
I agree with Cristina here. Almost anything can be safe in small amounts from time to time, but if someone is taking any drug in large amounts every day for a long period of time then they are going to end up changing their brain in some way. Like the post says the change will probably be different for everybody and it depends a lot on the details, but I think that more reserach needs to go into these changes so that we understand drugs and their effects on the body better. It doesn't help anyone not to reserach these things just because people aren't supposed to do drugs.
DeleteI also have always been interested in the ideas that marijuana kills brain cells. In school, we were taught that it is much worse than smoking cigarettes but I have never heard anything that proves that. I believe that there are many social and medical uses for it and it could really help some people. The only problem would be the addiction of it. My recent blog is about the addiction of prescription drugs and how patients become addicted after the extended use of them. That could be a problem for marijuana as well. My research question would be about the medical benefits of this and how you could keep the addiction of the drug away.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting to me. I heard the drug Cannabis is an extremely dangerous drug and for those who use it can end up in bad conditions. I honestly do not know why people use drugs in general to be honest. There is really not one drug that is actually good for you with the exception of medication an just the thought of people using drugs for the wrong reasons is ridiculous to me because not only are they putting themselves in danger, but they are also putting others that are around them in danger too. Drugs should not be legal period.
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ReplyDeleteThere is just so much that can be said about this topic from many perspectives and angles. Okay, fine I agree the plant Cannabis is not so shockingly fatal, but the harm comes from THC! Tetrahydrocannabinol is the cause for brain damage and addiction led by this colloquially known drug marijuana. I agree with Warren that "drugs should not be legal, period." People find enough ways out on the streets to obtain drugs and making it legal just speaks to the public by saying "oh, here you go, don't hid, i'll give it to you, so what if its bad, don't worry, here just puff a smoke". . . No. That is not the message we should be transmitting to our children and future generation.
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