Dangers of Cannabis on your brain

Cannabis

THE potential adverse effects of cannabis on the brain are determined by various factors such as the age of the user, the method of use, the type of cannabis and the severity of usage.
Some users enjoy the sense of euphoria and relaxation caused by the psychoactive component (tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) of cannabis since it increases the dopamine level in the brain.

This is why cannabis is so popular.

However, the consequences of cannabis for a developing brain, i.e. of those younger than 25 years, are not harmless. As a process of the significant pruning of neurons occurs between about age 12 and 25, for instance, the brain is already vulnerable, and then still has to deal with an extraneous substance such as THC.

So, cannabis could lead to structural and functional changes in the hippocampus – a region involved in memory formation – and therefore seems to impact on verbal memory, which is crucial to the development of higher cognitive functions.

In short, how information is processed in the brain is influenced and, at the very least, cannabis could lead to short-term cognitive impairment.

Moreover, besides memory, THC similarly interferes with mood, sleep and appetite. Of great concern is that, if cannabis use is combined with, for example, nutritional deficiencies, it could place a developing brain at risk of psychotic symptoms such as paranoia and auditory hallucinations.

Cannabis could be ingested in different forms, but smoking is undoubtedly harmful to the lungs and the body in general.

This is worsened by the situation that such smokers tend to inhale more deeply.

And different varieties of cannabis such as marijuana, ganja and hashish have different consequences for the brain, depending on the amount of THC in it.

This explains some of the distinct outcomes for users.

Furthermore, individual differences likewise play a role in that, for example, anxious people often become worse after using marijuana.

The severe use of cannabis does not allow for recovery of the brain. Long-term smoking of the ‘green tobacco’ could lead to permanent changes in cognitive functions such as attention, memory and learning. Such smokers often have poorer educational outcomes, and are dissatisfied with their lives.

They generally get exposed to an unhealthy social environment due to cannabis.

Parents and high school teachers ought to be warned that teenagers are more likely to become addicted as they underestimate the harmful consequences of cannabis. These authority figures should, therefore, consider the monthly urine testing of teenagers who are suspected of smoking cannabis as a way of monitoring and protecting them against this substance that is detrimental to them.

On the other hand, of course, there is no doubt about the reality that the medicinal use of cannabis holds much promise. The increasing trend of legalising the medicinal use of cannabis can only be encouraged.

There have been important developments in the health field regarding cannabinoid medicines or treatments for brain cancer, or the works of William Courtney on the benefits of raw cannabis through juicing, or the Rick Simpson recipe for cannabis oil, etc.

Nevertheless, in the final analysis, it remains crucial to distinguish between the medicinal use of cannabis and the regular smoking of it by teenagers.

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