Heavy marijuana use may harm the brain

New NIDA-funded research shows that heavy marijuana use (at least four times per week over the past six months) is linked to adverse changes in the function and structure of brain areas associated with reward, decision making, and motivation. Heavy marijuana use can also enhance some brain circuits – possibly to compensate for reduced function in specific brain regions. This effect was more pronounced in those who started using at a young age, indicating that developing brains are particularly vulnerable to marijuana’s effects.

Illustration of a neuron cell

Although further long-term studies are needed to determine whether marijuana caused these effects, these scientific findings add to the growing literature showing that heavy marijuana use may harm the brain.

For a copy of the abstract (published online November 10), go to www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/11/05/1415297111.abstract.

About RichardB

I am trained and work as a Creative Arts Therapist specializing in group therapy. I have passionately studied, worked, and taught as a hands-on practitioner of the Creative/Expressive and Healing Arts since 1983 integrating various modalities working in a variety of clinical and non-clinical settings. I currently provide Creative Arts and Counseling services to nonprofit agencies as well as occasionally teaching classes and workshops in communities of faith. I use compassion and acceptance to create an environment that is safe and nurturing for all individuals and groups. In my spare time I engage in research and write articles on a variety of subjects, create: poems, music, abstract artwork, and photograph nature.

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