Cannabis use has become a staple in the lives of many young Americans, but a top expert warns the drug may pose more risks than they realize.
Last week, Dr. Yasmin Hurd, a leading neuroscientist at Mount Sinai in New York City, on America’s colloquial “Weed Day,” the 20 of the drug.
She warns that the “high” produced by the drug alters a person’s brain chemistry and could potentially even put them at risk of developing serious psychiatric problems later.
Sales of the drug in America have soared in recent years as individual states slowly legalize it and pressure mounts on the federal government to lift restrictions.
Cannabis is slowly being legalized in America, with use in some form legal in all but six US states
“Cannabis contains over 500 chemicals, including over 140 cannabinoids, that have psychopharmacological effects of varying degrees,” Hurd explained at a Harvard neuroscience conference.
She explained that cannabinoids in tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC as it’s often called, the chemical in the drug that causes the high, interact with endocannabinoids in the brain.
dr Yasmin Hurd, a leading neuroscientist at Mount Sinai, told a Harvard conference that if marijuana was benign, nobody would use it to get high
Endocannabinoids are responsible for how cells in the brain interact with each other.
The cannabinoids in THC interact with and change the receptors that configure these interactions, creating the feeling people have when consuming the drug.
“If it feels intoxicating, that means it’s binding to a receptor and changing your brain. The question is for how long – and does it increase your risk for psychiatric disorders? She asked.
Many marijuana users, especially younger ones, believe that the drug does little to no harm.
While cannabis is not considered to be as harmful or as addictive as other drugs like cocaine, heroin, or even alcohol, there are potential dangers when used frequently that experts may not have discovered.
“If it were benign, no one would take it,” Hurd noted, explaining that the drug’s prevalence proves it has some sort of effect on a person’s brain chemistry.
She notes that about 30 percent of people who take the drug regularly also have a psychiatric disorder.
About half of US adults say they have used marijuana, a record high. Many people using the drug are unaware that there are potential long-term side effects
One problem for the researchers is that they can’t say whether the drug is causing the psychiatric problems or whether people who already have these types of problems are more likely to reach for the drug to help manage the stress.
Another known problem is the use of the drug in pregnant women, which often causes damage to the development of their fetus’ brain.
“Placental programming is critical to nervous system development and aberrations associated with psychiatric risks,” she said.
Cannabis use is legal in some form in all but six US states. in 18 states, is perfectly legal, both medicinally and recreationally.
There is strong support for legalizing the drug in the US, with a recent CBS poll finding that two-thirds of Americans support it at both the state and federal levels.
Legalization had overwhelming support from Democrats (79 percent) and independents (67 percent), while supporting it as much as half of Republicans.
A Gallup poll last summer found that half of American adults have tried marijuana at least once, a record high.