The persistent, dependent use of marijuana before age 18 has been shown to cause lasting harm to a person's intelligence, attention and memory, according to an international research team.
Among a long-range study cohort of more than 1,000 New Zealanders, individuals who started using cannabis in adolescence and used it for years afterward showed an average decline in IQ of 8 points when their age 13 and age 38 IQ tests were compared. Quitting pot did not appear to reverse the loss either, said lead researcher Madeline Meier, a post-doctoral researcher at Duke University. The results appear online Aug. 27 in PNAS.
The key variable in this is the age of onset for marijuana use and the brain's development, Meier said. Study subjects who didn't take up pot until they were adults with fully-formed brains did not show similar mental declines. Before age 18, however, the brain is still being organized and remodeled to become more efficient, she said, and may be more vulnerable to damage from drugs.
Do you wonder why George Soros pushes marijuana legalization?
I wonder what legalization does to underage access and use? The first few Google results go both ways, and neither direction would surprise me. I knew where to get pot years before I knew where to get beer or liquor. It's plausible that an illegal seller would be more likely to sell underage than a legit seller, but also plausible that being legal to adults makes it easier for minors to get it.
ReplyDeleteEvery 6th grader knows where Mom's stash is, right?
DeleteYou could make the same argument about Dad's pistol. It isn't a great argument in either case, and the solutions are very similar.
DeleteAnd how do you get the MSM to discuss marijuana risk?
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