SHOCKING TRUTH: HOW MARIJUANA CHANGES YOUR BRAIN

Marijuana is one of the most-used illegal drugs and new study has shown that long-term use could alter a person’s brain.

According to the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, using marijuana at an early age could have long-term consequences on your brain and it may even lower your IQ.

The study picked 48 marijuana users who all started smoking between age 14 and 30. On average they used marijuana three times a day and some said they had been using it for 10 years, although some had been smoking pot for three decades.

They were compared to a group of 62 nonusers of the same basic age and gender. All gave urine samples. All had an MRI scan and all went through IQ testing.

The people who regularly used marijuana had IQ’s that were five points lower, on average, than the nonusers in the study, although there is no definitive proof that marijuana alone was to blame for the lower IQ.

The research found that compared to nonusers, those who started smoking marijuana as early as age 14 have less brain volume, or gray matter, in the orbitofrontal cortex (a region in the frontal lobes of the brain that is involved in decision-making and assessing the expected rewards or punishments of an action).

The study also found that the wiring of the brain starts to deteriorate with chronic marijuana use.

Dr Francesca Filbey, the study’s principal said: “The younger the individual started using, the more pronounced the changes. Adolescence is when the brain starts maturing and making itself more adult-like, so any exposure to toxic substances can set the course for how your brain ends up.

“While our study does not conclusively address whether any or all of the brain changes are a direct consequence of marijuana use, these effects do suggest that these changes are related to age of onset and duration of use.”

According to Dr. Susan Weiss, associate director for Scientific Affairs at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the study provides more strong evidence about the dangers of marijuana.

“This is a complex and interesting study that adds to the growing body of evidence that heavy marijuana use, particularly at a young age, is linked to significant adverse brain changes,” Weiss said.

She however said further prospective studies are needed to clarify this and the findings will help counter the widespread belief that marijuana is a harmless drug.

Meanwhile, Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, said marijuana use does not cause IQ loss.

“The study doesn’t justify keeping marijuana illegal, nor does it say anything about making it legal. There remains no doubt that marijuana is far less harmful than alcohol to the brain and to the rest of the body. The possibility that marijuana might have some harm for some people — but might not — is not a good reason to keep arresting and punishing hundreds of thousands of adults simply for using it,” he said.