Cannabis Conundrum

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION DALLAS, July 27, 2016 — Rats’ blood vessels took at least three times longer to recover function after only a minute of breathing second-hand marijuana smoke, compared to recovery after a minute of breathing second-hand tobacco smoke, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal […]

Smoking cannabis affects the reward centre in a user’s brain, scans show That is the region responsible for releasing ‘pleasure’ hormone dopamine In cannabis users, scans show less activity in the reward centre, so a smaller amount of dopamine is released That dampened, blunted emotional response means a marijuana smoker will need more of the

“Many youth tend to think that alcohol use has more consequences than marijuana use and therefore view marijuana use as safer than drinking. However, youth need to better understand the harms of marijuana use, such as the potential effect on their developing brain and how it can affect performance in both adolescence and adulthood.”  Elizabeth

“It’s just so difficult… you wouldn’t know.” Megha Varier| Wednesday, July 6, 2016 Being fired from his job in May was a wake-up call that permeated through the relaxed mellowness induced by the marijuana Devank was hooked to. “I realized I had to get my act together before it was too late,” Devank says.Devank smoked pot

If you’re pregnant or planning to be, tobacco and alcohol are high on the list of things not to use.  But do we need an equally loud message about avoiding cannabis too? Yes, say some Australian researchers who’ve linked cannabis smoking both before and during pregnancy to a higher risk of preterm birth – and

Author: Robert L. DuPont, M.D. It comes as no surprise that the prevalence of marijuana use has significantly increased over the last decade. With marijuana legal for recreational use in four states and the District of Columbia and for medical use in an additional 31 states, the public perception about marijuana has shifted, with more people

 (putting new spin on the term ‘THICK as a BRICK’!) “Compared with unexposed children, those who were prenatally exposed to cannabis had a thicker prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain involved in complex cognition, decision-making, and working memory. Author of the study Dr. Hanan El Marroun, of Erasmus University Medical Center in The Netherlands,

BY MEGAN ARELLANO ON 06/12/2015 – Andrew Freedman, Colorado’s director of marijuana coordination, said Thursday that most of the money from marijuana is going to the cost of legalization. “You do not legalize for taxation. It is a myth. You are not going to pave streets. You are not going to be able to pay

The link between cannabis use and the development of psychosis is established. This systematic review and meta-analysis of 24 studies summarizes the evidence of the impact of cannabis use after the onset of psychosis (schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or bipolar if outcome was reported as number of psychotic episodes). Researchers compared the outcomes of those who continued

Written by Marie EllisPublished: Friday 15 April 2016 “Results showed that, compared with the control group, the marijuana users’ striatum had lower dopamine release. There was also lower release in subregions that play a role in associative and sensorimotor learning, as well as in the globus pallidus.” For complete Article