Several Good Arguments Not to Use Cannabis During Adolescence
The group of people that I’m most adamant in addressing around the issue of cannabis use is adolescents. This is for several main reasons:
-Teen brain grey matter volume shifts with even a small of amount of cannabis use...
- The lasting effects of adolescent cannabis use can be observed on important cognitive functions and appear to be more pronounced than those observed for alcohol.
-Becoming a more regular marijuana user during adolescence is associated with a risk of psychotic symptoms.
-Teens may be more likely to use marijuana following legalization...
-Preliminary data indicates that cannabis use has a stronger effect on the memory functions of adolescent males than adolescent females. Both sexes were however, equally affected by cannabis on inhibitory control...
- If first cannabis use happens below the age of 15, it’s always bad for you...
- Read all about DISC1 proteins in the rodent equivalent of teenagers
- Cannabis use among adolescents is associated with a significant increased risk of depression and suicidality in adulthood...
-Young cannabis users often use it as a way to manage their mood, but they don’t understand the cyclic effects that cannabis has on their mood that drives them to take more and more of it...
- Using cannabis in youth at an early age can have devastating effects on neurological development and intelligence...
- Abusing cannabis during adolescence may have permanent negative consequences on the immune system that last for a lifetime...
- Cannabis use during adolescence has effects that can last for generations...
- Cannabis use during adolescence directly affects brain regions associated with schizophrenia...
Even casual cannabis use can lead to changes in brain centers involving emotion, motivation and reward...
And it’s not just brain issues that can develop from cannabis use in youth...
“Frequent marijuana use can have a significant negative effect on the brains of teenagers and young adults, including cognitive decline, poor attention and memory, and decreased IQ...”
It’s
very significant that the last 20 years of research on cannabis, which often yields a variety of positive and negative outcomes, has come
down heavily weighted on the side that adolescent
abuse of marijuana leads to many, many undesirable long-term effects. In other words, when a person uses cannabis can have a major impact on the long-term consequences of taking this drug.
The general political and social climate in the last few years has created an atmosphere where preteens, teens and young adults are using cannabis under the belief that it is completely safe and without harmful effects. This is very much not the case for young potential users of the drug.
And only one group of teenagers used marijuana more often after retail sales were legalized in Washington than they did before -- high school seniors who work 11 or more hours per week...
If an adolescent misuses cannabis while her/his brain and body are still developing, it will have permanent detrimental effects on her/his development. Please advise your young patients not to do it!
Most teens in Los Angeles who've tried marijuana have used it in more than one form...
Young cannabis users may develop a higher risk for cardiovascular issues...
This is just a brief synopsis of my clinical findings. For extensive details on how to balance and optimize the effects of cannabis using Traditional Chinese Medicine, please refer to
With Traditional Chinese Medicine
More Resources
Teenagers with happy childhood memories are likely to drink less, take fewer drugs and enjoy learning...This is a great site for teens, especially the
Parents who use cannabis try to control their children more than those who don't...
Exposure to cannabinoids during adolescence alters brain maturation in the prefrontal cortex
Adolescents who were already using marijuana when recreational use became legal increase their marijuana use significantly compared to pre-legalization. Adolescents who are already marijuana users are much more likely to be affected by changes in marijuana laws than adolescents who don't use it...
Do any studies show a relationship between teen cannabis use and using other drugs later in life?
Teens who use cannabis are more likely to try synthetic cannabis...
Marijuana use brings on early puberty, but stunts development in boys...
Teens are very unclear on the risks of using cannabis and ecigs...
In this study, most teens who tried marijuana didn’t go on to try other illicit drugs...
And this study says that there may be no long-term consequences whatsoever...
Beware of statistics and propaganda that serve a lie! Here’s an article that tries to make you think that adolescents are taking less marijuana overall than they were in the past. The headline on this study says that adolescents are taking less marijuana than they did 15 years ago, which is true, according to the study. However, that number was down from 47 percent in 1999 but UP from 37 percent in 2009! The trend is way, way up, folks, no matter how you massage the data or what you choose to feature.
On top of that, there is a huge upsurge in adolescent use of NPS drugs... (Novel Psychoactive Substances), no doubt because they never existed before...
Are teenage cannabis users really less sensitive to exclusion?