Not Pot for this Summer: Adolescent Brain Development 101
By Richard Campbell Now that the flood gates are about to open on the Massachusetts marijuana experiment, as a follow-up on Rick Winterson’s questions last week, it would be prudent to introduce some of the latest studies on the effects of the drug on the adolescent brain. The one thing that should be remembered is that adolescent brains (particularly male adolescent brains) are not fully formed and the consequences of smoking pot at this stage in life are different from adult use in many ways. Anyone who has read the literature will come to this conclusion. From more “mild” effects, like partial cognition and memory impairment, to the extreme effects for adolescents with vulnerable genetic predisposition towards mental illnesses, the record is not very encouraging. [...]