Submitted by Livia Edegger
As support for decriminalising and legalising marijuana is growing, several new studies highlight the potentially harmful effects of the drug on its user’s brain and heart. The findings are particularly revealing in the field of recreational cannabis use. While studying the brains of a group of twenty occasional cannabis smokers, researchers from Harvard University found that as few as one or two uses a week can change the brain. Smoking marijuana was found to primarily affect the areas involved in decision making, emotions and motivations. Along the same lines, a group of French researchers found that marijuana use ups the risk of developing heart problems (i.e. strokes, heart attacks and circulation problems). More research is needed to better understand the health risks associated with marijuana.
Links:
- Cannabis Use Is Quantitatively Associated with Nucleus Accumbens and Amygdala Abnormalities in Young Adult Recreational Users(link is external) – The Journal of Neuroscience
- Cannabis Use: Signal of Increasing Risk of Serious Cardiovascular Disorders(link is external) – Journal of the American Heart Association
Source:
http://preventionhub.org/en/prevention-update/even-casual-cannabis-use-can-affect-health