January 30, 2021: Marijuana or cannabis, can actually make you dumb! Regular consumption of this substance comes with its downsides too.
The most popular illegal substance to be sold around the world, is not as beneficial as you may make it out to be. Although it is not considered illegal in a lot of countries and their states now, its sale needs to be restricted to adults.
Recent studies have found that kids who start consuming marijuana at a young age are at higher risks of encountering cognitive dysfunction and psychiatric illness.
A study published in the medical journal, Psychological Medicine, has also revealed that young adolescents who consumed cannabis on a regular basis might experience an eventual decline in their Intelligence Quotient (IQ) over a period of time.
In this study, it was observed that the decline was for 2 IQ points in people who frequently used it than those who didn’t. This decline in IQ is also related to the decline in verbal IQ as well.
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A researcher from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Emmet Power, gave his statement regarding the study conducted,
“Cannabis use during youth is of great concern as the developing brain may be particularly susceptible to harm during this period. The experts believe that this study further helps understand the effects of marijuana on adolescents and how it affects their brain.”
A team had conducted a thorough systematic review and statistical analysis on seven longitudinal studies including 808 adolescents who consumed cannabis weekly for nearly six months and 5308 adolescents who never used it. Include These 6 Natural Food Items Experience A Good Night Sleep
They recorded baseline IQ scores before commencing the consumption of cannabis. This study kept record adolescents of ages up to 18 and another group up to the age of 38.
Researchers managed to observe that individuals who consumed it regularly tended to have increased risks of developing mental illnesses like schizophrenia. Other side effects of regular marijuana consumption include life threatening brain problems, mental health problems like depression and anxiety, memory problems and even elevates your chances of encountering lung cancer.