Smoking Cannabis During Adolescence Does Not Change Brain Structure

Using cannabis during adolescence, even assiduously, does not lead to any changes in brain structure in adulthood. This is what a scientific study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence claims.

The research, conducted by researchers from Arizona State University and the University of Pittsburgh, lasted about 20 years. In the first phase, a thousand adolescents were selected and distinguished based on their trajectories of cannabis use between the ages of 13 and 19, dividing them into 4 groups based on levels of consumption (from no use to constant and daily use). In the second phase, a selected sample of 181 participants from the first phase underwent brain scans when they reached the ages of 30 and 36 to verify any differences in brain structure.

The tests analyzed 14 areas of interest in the brain, showing that there were no differences in brain structure based on levels of cannabis use during adolescence.

So much so that, in the conclusions of the research, the researchers stated that " cannabis use by adolescents cannot be associated with structural differences in the brain in adulthood , therefore cannabis use patterns do not appear to have lasting effects on brain structure".

The findings from the study are consistent with similar studies conducted in other research centers. A recent meta-analysis published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry similarly reported that exposure to cannabis in youth does not appear to be associated with cognitive deficits in adulthood.

An important research that however does not exclude the possible risks associated with the use of cannabis in adolescence.