(Published in Neurology)
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
- In this AHA Scientific Statement, numerous effects of marijuana on brain health are described. These include the effects of:
1) prenatal cannabinoid exposure as well as abnormal fetal neurotransmission in preclinical models and its impact on neuroanatomic areas associated with cognition and emotional regulation;
2) marijuana use on human cognition focusing on possible structural and functional changes in areas involved in cognition, potential detrimental effects of early cannabis exposure on cognition, and multidomain impact of acute marijuana intoxication; and
3) marijuana use on cerebrovascular disease risk, highlighting an association between cannabis use and increased risk of stroke.
- Overall, cumulative evidence suggests that consumption of marijuana may have detrimental effects on brain health, challenging widely accepted beliefs that marijuana is innocuous.