Study shows true reality of what smoking weed as a teenager really does to your brain
Warning: This article contains discussion of drug addiction which some readers may find distressing.
Your teenage years are quite a tender time for your brain as its development is still in full swing, so smoking weed at this age isn't advisable, according to health experts.
One top psychiatrist recently claimed it's essentially dooming the vital organ to stew in a 'cannabis soup' - however, this study suggests otherwise.
Experts in what is arguably the weed capital of the world, Amsterdam, decided to investigate the long-term impact that smoking the stuff as an adolescent can have.
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According to the experts, there is 'evidence of short‐term negative effects of cannabis use on cognition', but there hasn't been a lot of research done on how it can effect people in later life.
The study
So, the scientists set out to discover what the relationship between cannabis use and age‐related cognitive decline from early adulthood to late midlife really was.
The study looked at 5,162 men who were born between 1949 and 1961, whose mental state was checked up on every few years.
Out of these lot, 39.3 percent of them had used cannabis at least once, according to the research which was published in the National Library of Medicine last year.
And, 51.1 percent of these had started smoking weed before the age of 18.
To measure their cognitive decline as they aged, experts assed the difference in their IQ over the years.
Interestingly, after studying the sample of more than 5,000 men over a 44-year period, the authors of the research said they did not find any 'significant harmful effects of cannabis use on age‐related cognitive decline'.
In fact, the blokes who regularly smoked weed weren't any worse off cognitively than there counterparts who steered clear of the stuff.
What were the results of the study?
However, those who were partial to a bit of the wacky baccy did have a lower IQ by 1.3 points on average, but it was only a slim difference.
"The estimated difference in cognitive decline between cannabis users and nonusers was modest and may not hold clinical significance," the study explains.
"Among cannabis users, no significant associations with age‐related cognitive decline could be demonstrated for age of initiation of cannabis use.
"Years of frequent cannabis use were generally associated with no significant difference in cognitive decline when compared with no frequent use."
The boffins behind the research did admit that further investigation is needed, while a broader pool of people would need to take part to really get to the bottom of it, rather than just men.
So, it seems the stereotype of weed smokers slowly turning themselves into sluggish sloths without two brain cells to rub together might not be bang on, after all.
But that isn't to say you should go and grab a bong or spark up a spliff to celebrate - as other health experts have a completely different opinion.
What have other health experts said?
Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, previously told The Times: "When you start smoking with your mates at 14 or 15, you are literally growing your brain in a cannabis soup.
"People’s brains don’t stop growing until you’re an adult in your early to mid-twenties. The reality is - and this is evidence-based, therefore it’s the truth - cannabis is associated with a higher risk of anxiety, depression, and, unfortunately, a higher risk of psychosis.
"Anyone who smokes cannabis regularly will admit that they’ve had a 'para', and what they mean by that is that they’ve had a paranoid fit. People laugh about it."
The NHS warns that cannabis can 'make some existing mental health symptoms worse' and that the Class B drug has been 'linked with the possible development of mental health issues'.
It explains: "The risk factors include an underlying vulnerability to mental health issues such as family history, heavy cannabis use from a young age over a long period of time or use of high potency cannabis."
Marijuana is probably the most commonly used recreational drug around the world and recent statistics suggested that around 2.5 million Brits had smoked the drug within the last year, according to treatment centre Linwood House.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week
Olivia Burke