Marijuana Effects on the Brain

     According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH), "marijuana exposure during development can cause long-term or possibly permanent adverse changes in the brain" (NIH).  The scientists in this development ran tests on rats to see the extent of damage and they reported that rats exposed show problems with learning and memory tasks later in life.  These problems are associated with the structural and functional changes in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is the center of emotion, memory, and the autonomic nervous system, all due to drug use.  The scientists went further and monitored adolescent marijuana users and reported that regular users display impaired neural connectivity in brain regions where the functions control memory, learning, and impulse control - all of these functions are greatly altered when compared to non-users.

     Later findings in New Zealand found that frequent use of marijuana starting in adolescence is associated with the loss of an average of 8 IQ points measured in mid-adulthood.  An important discovery with this is that those teenagers whom quit later as an adult did not recover those IQ points; however, users who start as adults do not lose IQ points.  This means that marijuana has a bigger impact on young users whose brains are still in development.

     People may argue that since marijuana does not have any negative impact on the brain IQ-wise when used as an adult, that the use of marijuana should then be allowed and legalized. Those people, however, are wrong.  The brain is still being effected.  According to Drug Free World, immediate effects, young or old, include rapid heart beat, disorientation, lack of physical coordination, and is often followed by depression or sleepiness. Some users even suffer panic attacks and anxiety.  This organization furthers the negative effect by going on to say that marijuana smoke contains 50-70% more cancer-causing substances than tobacco smoke. Not only that, but marijuana can change the structure of sperm cells, causing temporary sterility in men.  For women, marijuana impacts the menstrual cycle.  So not only does it effect teens and adults, but it can also damage babies before they are born.

     Marijuana has many negative effects on the brain and body that can not be fixed.  Why is marijuana being used to "fix" illness when it causes problems itself?  My partner, McKenna, goes on to inform users of alternatives to marijuana for medical use.  Once she gives alternatives, than what is the use of marijuana?  Marijuana should not be legal in Pennsylvania.

By Audrey Luce

Works Cited:

"The Harmful Effects of Marijuana." Drug-Free World. Foundation for a Drug-Free World, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.

"What Are Marijuana's Long-term Effects on the Brain?" National Institute on Drug Abuse. NIH, June 2015. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.