With marijuana becoming legal in more places in America, you might be inclined to believe that this means it is okay to smoke. Common defenses of the drug include the fact that it is natural and can be used to help treat medical issues. According to the Society for Neuroscience, “marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, with an estimated 18.9 million people reporting recent use.” It is easy to get, not super expensive, it is often times recreational, and extremely prevalent in our age group. But, food for thought -- it may be more damaging to the brain than previously known.      

A team of doctors from Harvard Medical School and Northeastern University released a study with new results published in The Journal of Neuroscience, challenging common beliefs about the drug. Unlike other studies, this study focused on people who only smoked in light moderation, as opposed to heavy use.  And, by comparing this group of people with a controlled group of non-smokers, the researchers concluded that even light use of marijuana leads to changes in the brain’s anatomy. 

The most change in the brain was found to be in the amygdala, which is a region of the brain connected to emotion. The researchers also found a correlation between the amount smoked and the change in the brain -- the more the user smoked, the greater the change in the density and size of the brain's regions. Like every study, this one did have flaws. They state in the study that the group sizes could have been larger to reflect a larger portion of society. Nevertheless, this study will join the countless others on use of marijuana and its effects on the human body. 

I think it is significant that the study only used participants in our age group -- eighteen to twenty-five years old -- because it just goes to show the relevance of the topic and of the drug in our generation. You may think to yourself, “I smoke and I’m fine -- nothing will happen,” but it doesn’t hurt to pay heed to these studies. With pushes for legality of the drug nationwide, it is important to be knowledgeable about all sides of the argument. That way, whether you are in favor, or not, of the drug's legality, you have some evidence behind your claims.  Marijuana will, no doubt, be a common recreational drug in the future, just as it has been in the past. 

Let me know what you think of the findings of this recent study by emailing me at hlavendi@purdue.edu, or by tweeting at me at @hlavendier.