Cannabis causes brain abnormalities: study

[Legba]

Link

A new study on long-term cannabis use, shows it can cause significant brain abnormalities, affecting the memory and emotional processing.

The study by researchers at the Universities of Melbourne and Wollongong says the effects can be equivalent to those experienced by people with a mild traumatic brain injury.

They say the study also documents for the first time, that long term marijuana use affects all users, not just high risk categories such as the young and those susceptible to mental illness.

The chief executive of Melbourne's Odyssey House, Stefan Gruenert, says he is not surprised by the findings.

"If you're using cannabis daily, heavily and over a long period of time, the people in this study had been using for about ten years, then you are likely to have changes in the brain that are likely to lead to or mimic some of the symptoms of things like paranoia, memory loss, confusion," he said.

Mr Gruenert says the findings should serve as a warning about all long-term drug use.

"Anything used in heavy dose inappropriately for a long term can lead to damage," he said.

"I think this is another piece of information for us as a society to make us stop and think about whether legalising any of our current illicit drugs is a wise idea."

[KlUe]

What is also important in this study which is missed in the article above is the fact that it mentions in EXCESS of 5 joints per day for 10 years.

I don't know a huge amount of regular users, but more than 5 joints a day is alot of fkn bud.

Source: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=38884

[mu!]

5 joints. thats about.. a couple of mixes? An average that i've found not uncommon

[MindExpansion]

5 Joints a day? Not too far from the mark and I only know few people who've used for ten years, but the daily smokers I know get through more than that, in the words of bob marley "smoke to joints in the morning, smoke two joints at night, smoke to joints in the afternoon" lol. I suppose it depends on how big a joint your talking about though - glad it's something my gnome gave up.

Interesting research, didn't read the article yet but looking forward to getting around to it when I have a spare moment. Might have to try and find the actual paper though.

Peace,

Mind

Edited June 3, 2008 by MindExpansion

[KlUe]

I worded that incorrectly; just meant to say it was pretty heavy smoking for that length of time. Further to that, a Reuters article states 20 years now:

"The men had smoked at least five marijuana cigarettes daily for on average 20 years."

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN02271474

[MindExpansion]

Heheh, yeh when I get a spare moment I may have to try and track down the original, cheers for the info KLUE.

Peace,

Mind

[AndyAmine.]

I think the size of the joints, the type of cannabis thats being smoked and the growing method + ferts being used has a lot to do with it as well.

Obviously anything in excessive ammounts is going to be bad for you but Im of the firm belief that that the strain as well as the ferts and additives have a lot to do with the toxic side effects.

[2b]

Hmm.........I've forgotten what i was going to say........Oh well......

[nabraxas]

maybe it also has something to do w/how you use your brain.

if you sat around & watched daytime TV for 10 years i think you'd show signs ov brain shrinkage w/or without cannabis use,

conversely if you spent 10 years learning to play the piano, while learning to speak Dutch, while solving complex algebra equations, playing sport & eating healthily while also smoking cannbis, i wonder if there would be any measurable 'brain damage'.

[Yeti101]

Certainly other factors have to be ruled out before you can make a really strong claim of cause and effect, rather than just correlation.

"I think this is another piece of information for us as a society to make us stop and think about whether legalising any of our current illicit drugs is a wise idea."

What, something that shrinks your brain when you use it heavily for years is bad?

[Jesus On Peyote]

doh

[CaptAmazing]

I think all of this talk about what type of weed etc is just useless. Your brain runs on a specific chemical mix when your sober. If you alter that mix daily then it seems to make sense that your brain will alter to cope with the unusual chemical combinations. At least to me it makes sense.

[chilli]

CaptAmazing, surely if it's just chemistry then the chemical composition is pretty important. For example, if you eat only processed, plastic-wrapped, packaged crap full of artificial chemicals as long as your arm (if they had to disclose what's in it, that is) everyday, it would probably have a marked detrimental effect on you compared to if you ate only organic, naturally grown whole produce everyday. Really, some of the nasty stuff that gets pumped into hydroponically grown plants etc should be a cause for concern to the end user.

I also think what Nabraxas said is important, I do think it would significantly depend on what the person is doing when high and between sessions. Without wanting to reinforce negative stereotypes it seems to me like a large percentage of people who smoke 5 or more cigarette sized joints a day for ten years probably aren't doing much else apart from watch TV. Unless of course they are creative, arty wankers who at least have the pretense of making art. Maybe weed should be prohibited for everyone except painters and musicians.

Edited June 5, 2008 by Sublime Crime

[complex]

NORML Responds To Latest Marijuana And Brain Damage Fears

Washington, DC: The results of a recent study reporting hippocampal volume reductions in long-term, heavy users of cannabis are based on only 15 cases, and are inconsistent with previously published research, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said today.

The widely reported study, published this week in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, found that chronic cannabis smokers (who averaged at least five joints per day for a period of 20 years) experience a measurable (via structural magnetic resonance imaging) reduction in the hippocampus and amygdala compared to non-users.

Commenting on the new study, Armentano said that although the exceptionally heavy use of cannabis may pose unique yet subtle health hazards, these potential risks are likely irrelevant to the overwhelming majority of cannabis consumers who use the drug in moderation.

"While these preliminary results are a cause of concern, they must be replicated in a much larger sample size before we can begin making any determinations regarding whether there may exist a cause-and-effect relationship, or whether these results may hold any significance for the millions of Americans who consume cannabis on a far more limited basis," he said.

Armentano added that a previous assessment of long-term cannabis use on hippocampal volume found no adverse effects associated with marijuana use.

Numerous studies of cannabis use on neurocognitive abilities have also failed to indicate that marijuana use has residual adverse impacts on cognition.

Armentano concluded: "While we have known for decades that chronic alcohol use is toxic to the brain, this fact is not a justification for arresting and incarcerating the millions of Americans who enjoy a glass of wine or beer with dinner. As is the case with alcohol, the findings of this study – even if we are to take them at face value – are an argument in favor of legalization, education, and moderation – not criminal prohibition."

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-500 or Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: [email protected].

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7618