Listening to a podcast today, the subject of parents using pot came up. Concerns were raised about kids getting into it.
I’m curious: is cannabis known to affect children/adolescents differently than it does adults?
Yes. Recent research seems to show that adolescent use of cannabis has a harmful effect on the developing brain and may lead to lower IQs.
But even if that research is flawed or discounted I would expect there to be a difference between adult and child, simply because children’s bodies are still developing.
There is evidence to suggest that adolescent use of cannabis can effect brain development, causing a long term reduction in brain function, even after use stops.
I’ve not read this full paper, but a few confounds I can think of immediately (which the authors are smart enough to be aware of, I just don’t know if they address them) is that more severe users of a substance also tend to initiate use at a younger age. So, someone who starts using pot at 14 is likely to use more, and more frequently, than someone who starts using at 18. So, it may be that the younger users’ brain function is being effected by the high level of their use over time, rather than simply having started using early.
Another issue is that almost all users initiate before brain development is complete. The brain isn’t fully developed until the early 20s, and it is rare for somebody, for example, over 25 to start using marijuana on a regular basis, when they never used it before.
In summary, the brain is undergoing substantial development through early adulthood. There is some evidence to suggest that use of marijuana during this time can negatively effect the development of the brain in irreversible ways.
Personally I’m in favor of liberalizing drug (particularly marijuana) laws, but its disingenuous of any group to suggest that marijuana (and any other drug) is harmless.
Interesting. Later on in the podcast a woman mentioned being given a toke off her mom’s j when she was nine, and said it put her fast to sleep. I wonder if that’s true of most kids who ingest cannabis.