Topics: Health, Life, Explained, TikTok, Mental Health
Any drug out there, be it caffeine or cocaine, has an effect on your body and brain.
And, regardless of your personal beliefs when it comes to the subject, this is exactly the same for marijuana - also known as weed.
Helping break the impacts of the drug, which is a Class B drug in the United Kingdom, a doctor has outlined four ways in which marijuana can impact your brain and the worrying long-term effects any users should be mindful of.
Neurologist, physician-scientist and epidemiologist, who goes by 'Dr Bing' online, recently took to social media to answer the question: "What can cannabis or marijuana do to your brain?"
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Up first on Dr Bing's list was that marijuana 'significantly increases your risk of having any type of stroke under the age of 50'.
"It also significantly increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmia, the most common one being atrial fibrillation," he added in the viral TikTok explainer. "And as some of you know, that is a significant risk factor for stroke."
Cannabis use may double the risk of dying from heart disease and increase the risk of stroke by 20%, according to a global review of data, the Guardian reports.
His second warning was that marijuana 'can reduce the volume and the function in many parts of the brain and it can disrupt the connections between different regions of the brain'.
Dr Bing also outlined that parts of the brain that are most affected are responsible for attention, memory, problem solving, decision making, emotional regulation, and personality.
The doctor explained that this is 'especially important' in younger people because their brains continue to develop until the age of 25 and sometimes even later, and 'therefore any disruption during that time could have permanent effects'.
A recent study found that both heavy lifetime use and recent cannabis consumption significantly reduced brain activity during working memory tasks.
"This impairment was linked to worse performance on tasks requiring focus, problem-solving, and instruction-following. Brain imaging revealed that key regions responsible for decision-making and attention were affected," SciTeachDaily reports.
The third point, according to the expert, is that marijuana 'increases the risk of developing psychosis and schizophrenia later in life, and it also increases the rate of relapses and hospitalisations for these disorders'.
"The link between marijuana and psychosis goes beyond a short-lived high," WebMD warns. "If you already have schizophrenia and use the drug, your symptoms may get worse. You may have more psychotic episodes and spend more time in the hospital.
"Researchers also have found that if you carry certain types of specific genes that affect brain chemistry, marijuana use can raise the chance you’ll have schizophrenia. One of those genes is called AKT1. Another is called COMT."
Psychosis is a symptom of schizophrenia.
And, lastly, Dr Bing concluded: "Cannabis use in mothers who are pregnant is associated with problems with attention, behaviours, memory, and problem-solving skills in their children."
The CDC confirms this, noting: "Although scientists are still learning about the effects of cannabis on developing brains, studies suggest that cannabis use by mothers during pregnancy could be linked to problems with attention, memory, problem-solving skills, and behaviour in their children."
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week
