Is alcohol better or worse for your brain than marijuana?
We’re not sure, and it really doesn’t matter when it comes to young people, their futures and their performance in school.
In a recent survey of 900 students at Lewiston High School, more than half said they believe smoking pot causes little or no harm, while 34 percent of the middle school students said the same.
That kind of thinking is not only wrong but dangerous.
This belief likely results from the increasing acceptance and legalization of marijuana across the country.
Maine has legalized the medicinal use of marijuana, while voters in Portland recently voted to legalize the use and possession of small quantities of marijuana. Proponents of legalization say they hope residents of Lewiston and two other Maine cities will vote the same way.
All of which may signal to young people that the use of marijuana is risk-free and acceptable.
But there is growing evidence that adolescent brains, while still developing, are more susceptible to subtle and detrimental changes caused by marijuana.
Of particular concern is the daily use of marijuana by teenagers, which is on the rise nationally.
Just this week, the New York Times reported on a new study published by scientists at Northwestern University showing lasting alterations in the brains of adults who smoked marijuana as adolescents.
“Using brain imaging scans, the scientists showed that in comparison to young adults who had never smoked marijuana, those who used it daily for about three years as teenagers had differences in structures like the thalamus, globus pallidus and striatum.”
Those areas of the brain, according to researchers, form a sort of “mental notepad” called working memory that allows people to solve puzzles, remember a telephone number or quickly process other bits of information needed for everyday tasks.
Having more of that type of memory is a strong predictor of academic achievement in adolescents.
Parents need to know this, and they need to reinforce it with their children.
When students mess with drugs, they are messing with their brain health and their futures.
rrhoades@sunjournal.com
The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and the editorial board.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
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