THE DOCTOR IS IN
OP / ED BY DR. ADIL MANZOOR
There used to be a time when smoking cannabis (marijuana or weed) used to be the peak of rebellion among adolescents. For real. It was real gangsta! But we are in a new era, where smoking weed is barely even considered a vice by many. It has become so normalized (and even legalized in some states) in the United States.
However, that something is normalized or legalized does not make it healthy. Just look at alcohol, which is responsible for so many health issues and casualties – directly and indirectly – in the United States. The same conviction does not appear to weed, though, and there seems to be a never-ending debate about its health benefits and risks. So, is smoking weed really good for you?
If you ask any healthcare provider this, their answer will almost always be no. What if you ask me? Well, also no. Smoking any substance – natural or synthetic – is not good for you. Weed, tobacco, and cocaine (of course!) are all substances that are typically smoked, and this act comes with different health concerns, including increased risk of stroke, lung cancer and disease, heart disease, and other vascular problems.
It’s not all bad, though, as studies suggest. There have been identified benefits of marijuana, and there is even a medical-grade of the plant. Whether or not marijuana will be useful to you is up to your doctor. However, the risks are always present if these plants are smoked, and healthcare providers never fail to educate people on these risks. There is a risk to smoking that people don’t really discuss, though, and that is its effects on the adolescent brain.
The human brain develops throughout adolescence. In fact, scientific research suggests that the brain does not stop growing until 30. So, there is no doubt at all that the brain is still developing during adolescence. The research in question evaluated the use of cannabis in adolescents over 18 months. Here’s the interesting bit.
The results showed that adolescents who repeatedly took cannabis had a lower intelligence quotient and slower cognitive function. What’s more, researchers concluded that smoking during adolescence may have detrimental effects on the brain’s resting functional connectivity. Aside from the impact on intelligence and task-solving, problems with the brain’s connectivity can also predispose the individual to different mental health conditions.
There’s more. The research found that simply stopping cannabis exposure does not reverse any cognitive impairments that may have taken place. Yeah, it’s pretty bad. The findings of this study are also not isolated or unique. Other studies have found similar results, linking a higher prevalence of mental health problems to adolescents and other youths.
Considering how difficult it is to control cannabis now in the country despite the restrictions from states, one can only imagine what the situation will be when restrictions ease up, which they surely will from the look of things. So, access to cannabis by adolescents may get even easier, and this will undoubtedly be associated with a corresponding increase in smoking and other forms of cannabis exposure. In the same vein, the impairments in cognition and other mental problems will only increase.
It is clear, then, that an effective solution to the problem is needed. Some have suggested increasing the difficulty of adolescents getting cannabis when restrictions are lifted across the country. That will be pretty hard to implement, however, as most of the adolescents who get it now already do so through the back door.
Of course, there are still some who do not believe marijuana should be legal at all, and I suspect this population will be even more energized in their stance when revelations like this penetrate the mainstream media. Again, this seems like a dead end, and it seems a matter of “when” and not “if” cannabis will be widely accepted as a recreational drug.
Personally, I believe the best solution will be proper education on studies like this that highlight the risk of cannabis exposure to adolescents and younger populations. This education also has to start at the grassroots level – right from high school and different homes.
My recommendation certainly does not preclude the role of the government and health organizations. More studies have to be conducted, and on a larger scale, to get more representative and encompassing results on the influence of cannabis on adolescents. And, yes, I also support the need for some restrictions (much more stringent ones) that limit the exposure of cannabis to adolescents.
An important detail to also include in our thinking is that exposure to cannabis can also be through second-hand smoke. Not everyone exposed to marijuana actually does so intentionally. This means whatever strategies are employed to address this problem also have to account for accidental exposure.
This article was written by Dr. Adil Manzoor, DO, a Board-Certified Internist; Board certified Pediatrician who works as a Hospitalist and Emergency Room Physician. He is also the current President of Garden State Street Medicine, a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide free preventive and acute urgent care services for the homeless. He is also the co-founder of his own unique medical practice, Mobile Medicine NJ; House Call Doctors. He is also currently pursuing an Executive MBA and a Master’s of Science in Healthcare Leadership at Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management and the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.
References
- https://johnnysambassadors.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/annurev-devpsych-040320-084904.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5963818/
- https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3986/5/1/7#:~:text=Cannabis%20Use%20and%20Development%20of,the%20United%20States%20%5B40%5D.
