Cannabis Effects: How Does Cannabis Use Affect Brain Health?

For more than a century, stories about the alleged dangers of smoking marijuana have circulated. Smoking marijuana has frequently received a bad reputation in cultural commentary in film and media.

We’ll debunk the myths surrounding smoking marijuana and go through the literature to see whether cannabis use can harm brain cells.

Origins of the myth of marijuana killing brain cells

The prohibition era occurred at the same time as a slew of false ideas about smoking marijuana and its consequences for users. The fried egg campaign and Reefer Madness are the two most notable contributors to continuing fears that marijuana damages the brain.

Reefer Madness is a 1936 film that experienced a resurgence in the 1970s. The movie depicted excessively violent events linked to marijuana use, which melodramatically show young adult cannabis smokers descending into madness and hallucinations until the dire advisory flashes on the screen at the end: “TELL YOUR CHILDREN.”

Reefer Madness is a 1936 film that was obscure until its resurgence in the 1970s. The film depicts incredibly violent events which supposedly occur as a result of marijuana use.

The fried egg campaign, along with other Reagan-era initiatives like DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), sought to educate youngsters about the dangers of drugs in the 1980s. In order to this end, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America sponsored a scare-tactic public service announcement depicting an egg being dropped into a sizzling frying pan with the voiceover “This is your brain… This is your brain on drugs. Do you have any questions?” The first fried egg ad ran in 1987 and was revived as recently as 2016.

An overview of the research

According to Dr. Adie Rae, neuroscientist and scientific adviser to Weedmaps, there is a difference between infrequent cannabis use and regular cannabis use in terms of how the brain responds. According to available research, occasional cannabis usage appears to have neuroprotective effects on the brain, whereas frequent cannabis usage may have harmful consequences.

Rae stated that the only instance she could find in literature of neurotoxicity to brain cells was caused by synthetic cannabinoids (for example, Spice and K2). However, plant-based cannabinoids appear to have the opposite effect, if only temporarily.

Studies on cannabis use and brain activity

According to Rae, many of the cannabinoids in cannabis- especially CBD and CBG but THC as well- are actuallyprotective. She said that “This means they turn on healthy cellular processes like antioxidation, rather than stimulating the cellular processes that lead to cell death Being neuroprotective is what makes cannabis and its derivatives attractive target therapies for degenerative brain disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

According to a 2020 literature review published in Molecular Neurobiology, THC and CBD might be therapeutic for people with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

A study published in 2018 in Neurobiology of Aging revealed that a tiny dose of injected THC might help reverse age-related cognitive deterioration in mice. The beneficial effects endured for seven weeks.

On the other hand, one research published in 2020 in the journal Addiction Biology found that as cannabis use increased, the hippocampus’s total size decreased “Cannabis isn’t necessarily ‘killing’ brain cells,’ but there is clearly something that is not normal in the hippocampi of chronic cannabis users,’” according to Rae.

Cannabis isn’t believed to “kill” brain cells, but it does decrease the creation of critical proteins that act as survival tools for brain cells.

Moreover, some habitual cannabis users have less gray matter in several sections of the brain. Rae continued by referencing a 2020 study published in Neuroreport that showed these gray matter changes in regular cannabis consumers. “It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean that marijuana is ‘killing’ these cells,” Rae said. “However, the areas are smaller than usual.” She added that chronic cannabis use also decreases the production of essential proteins needed for cell survival.

How to consume cannabis the smart way

The greatest approach to guarantee that you can safely use marijuana is to moderate your usage. Instead of smoking cannabis on a daily basis, consider cutting down and storing it as a treat rather than a habit.

Choosing low-THC strains with less psychoactive effects may be a more sensible option. Ringo’s Gift, Harlequin, Cannatonic, Pennywise, ACDC, and Sour Tsunami are some of the most common low-THC strains.

Ingesting cannabis via smoking cessation methods may improve brain function (although potency is typically low) and will protect your lungs from harmful toxins.

Bottom line

Although cannabis use has been linked to negative behavioral and cognitive effects in certain studies, lower doses of THC may be beneficial.

“Because the endocannabinoid system is so important for all of our cognitive and homeostatic processes, it’s best to use cannabis moderately and/or take regular breaks,” Rae noted. She advises at least 48 hours of abstinence once a month.

However, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not accept this opinion. “There are certainly developmental consequences of cannabis on a developing brain, whether a user is in utero or in high school. The healthiest thing for brain development is to wait until your brain has fully developed, usually around the age of 22.