Marijuana doesn’t lower IQ level of teens, says study
Considering the analgesic property of marijuana, 23 states in the United States and Washington D.C. have legalized its use in some form. However, marijuana or cannabis abuse is very common in the country. Contradicting the other researches that pot use leads to reduced intelligence, two new studies have claimed that pot use in teens may not lead to IQ decline.
A team of researchers at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles analyzed intelligence of participants aged 9 to 12 when they were not using marijuana. A second analysis of these participants was done at the age of 17 to 20, after they started using marijuana. The team led by Joshua Isen, a psychology lecturer in Loyola Marymount University, found no difference between the two sections. However, in tests of vocabulary and general knowledge, the second group performed poorly compared to the first group.
The new study also considered 290 pairs of twins in which one used marijuana while the other did not. The analysis found that the users were not worse than the other group. Thus, the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences “says nothing about other potential harmful consequences of smoking marijuana in adolescence.”
Another new research at University College London revealed that the IQ level of teens who used marijuana over 50 times and those who had never used it exhibited little to nil difference, according to a upi.com report. The study was published in The Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Previous studies
However, not all studies confirm the new theory. According to a report in the Time, a research conducted at Duke University, New Zealand in 2012 concluded that the heaviest marijuana users could lose 8 IQ points and heavy teen users demonstrate cognitive decline of about 5 percent.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that the IQ level decreased in early adulthood for those who took to marijuana before 18 years and continued with it till 38. Lead author Madeline Meier, a postdoctoral researcher at Duke University, said, “Our hypothesis is that we see this IQ decline in adolescence because the adolescent brain is still developing and if you introduce cannabis, it might interrupt these critical developmental processes.”
According to a 2015 report in medicalnewstoday.com, in a first, the number of daily marijuana users has exceeded those of daily cigarette users among college students in the U.S. with around one in every 17 college students smoking cannabis on a daily or near-daily basis, which is the highest since 1980.
The government is striving to deal with the problem. Talking about the new study by Loyola Marymount University, Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), told dailymail.co.uk that though the study had some restrictions, further research was needed. She also informed them that the government had already started a project to follow about 10,000 children to analyze the impact of marijuana and other drug use.
Another recent research, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, says adolescents using marijuana can have schizophrenia-like changes in the brain. Marijuana has other ill effects as well. When taken for recreational purposes, marijuana users demonstrate some effects such as change in perception, slight hallucinogenic effects, change in mood, increased heart rate, leading to heart attack, dip in blood pressure, impairment of working memory and short-term memory, increase in appetite and fast breathing, forgetfulness and anxiety and psychosis.
A study by researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2014 said that using marijuana daily for four years or longer may be related to certain changes in the brain, said a report in livescience.com.
In spite of its pros and cons, there is an ongoing debate over the legalization of marijuana. Various quarters have come up with their thoughts and beliefs on the topic. But it’s not difficult to overcome the addiction.
If you or your loved one is grappling with a drug addiction problem, Sovereign Health Group can help. We incorporate a wide variety of strategies to ease discomfort and speed recovery. For more information, call 855-683-9756.