Even casual use of marijuana can cause brain abnormalities, suggests a new study published in the April 16 issue of Journal of Neuroscience. The research was led by Jodi Gilman of Massachusetts General Center for Addiction Medicine and an instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School.
World Science published a story last month about the research of Gilman and his team, which found that casual or recreational use of marijuana caused abnormality in the size and shape of two brain areas – nucleus accumbens and the amygdala – both important with respect to addictive behavior and in terms of motivation and emotion.
“I’ve developed a severe worry about whether we should be allowing anybody under age 30 to use pot unless they have a terminal illness and need it for pain,” Gilman was thus quoted.
This new research adds evidence to the damaging effects of pot at a time when there is a rising demand for legalization of marijuana in US and a few states already have legalized the substance for recreational use.
