The Negative Effects of Marijuana on Teenagers

Abstract: 

Marijuana is one of the most commonly used psychedelic drugs in the United States. Most of these are frequently used among adults and adolescents for both medicinal, recreational, and even religious purposes. While medicinal usage of marijuana has begun to significantly increase, recreational usage has increased as well over the past years. Teenagers have also begun to have more access to marijuana through other forms such as vaping, which allows for smoking THC and therefore showing an increase in smoking marijuana. This convenient access to marijuana has caused many adults and adolescents to start smoking daily as well. Although there is not a direct correlation between use of marijuana and the overall effect of it on the brain, some studies show that an over usage of this drug may possibly lead to chemical imbalances in the brain and possibly changes certain cognitive thinking processes. As the prefrontal cortex of the teenage brain develops during the period of adolescence, the chemicals found in marijuana can inhibit proper development from taking place. This is seen in several different studies that will be discussed in deeper depth throughout the course of this research. Some data suggests correlation between different mental disorders and the usage of marijuana. 

Introduction:

Marijuana is one of the most commonly used psychedelic drugs in the United States and it is becoming increasingly more accessible through popular forms such as vaping, e-cigarettes, cannabis edibles, and the full legalization of recreational marijuana usage across eleven states. While it has historically been used for medicinal purposes and as an aspect of specific cultures, the increasing accessibility of marijuana over the past three decades has caused its use to become a popular recreational activity amongst teenagers. About one in five high school students have reported using marijuana recreationally in 2019 and its increase in usage among teenagers since 2018, which is 14%, is the highest that has ever been reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, 2020). While recreational-use marijuana is legal in eleven states, it is only legal for adults over the age of 21 because it is not considered as problematic to their health and well-being as it is for adolescents. Several organizations and members of the public argue that marijuana is not harmful to the human body at any age, but a multitude of scientific studies and experiments have shown that marijuana use in adolescents can impede on their neural development, which can negatively affect their academic performance and social and occupational functioning into adulthood. Adolescents are more susceptible to neurochemical imbalances and neurostructural changes than adults are, which can deteriorate cognitive thinking processes, physical abilities, motor skills, and mental health (Iversen, 2003). Based on their studies, it has been suggested by physicians and scientists to carefully monitor teenagers and facilitate better social environments for them to abstain from marijuana usage and to completely avoid the legalization of marijuana for adolescents in the United States due to the harmful effects. 

Methods:

Marijuana has been found to have adverse effects on neurological functionality of adolescents, specifically on their cognitive abilities. Cannabinoid (CB1) receptors facilitate genetic expression for neural development during adolescence and an excess of these receptors, which is a result of the intake of marijuana, can provoke a cascade of neurostructural and neurochemical imbalances which can then lead to poor cognitive and emotional development (Burggren, 2018). In a 2012 University of Southern California study, researchers experimented to see if abstaining from marijuana usage would cause a difference in an adolescent brain’s bilateral hippocampal volume, which is a structural component of the brain that facilitates the cognitive ability of reality perception. In a sample of 100 adolescent marijuana users, ages ranging from 16 to 19, 50 adolescents continued to use marijuana while the other 50 adolescents were told to abstain from usage for a period of 60 days. After this period, the adolescents were presented with a series of images, videos, and statements regarding societal and individual matters that could either be perceived as true or false by simply using common sense and cognitive awareness (Cancilliere, 2018).

In another experiment by Louisiana State University, researchers examined 18 adolescents with histories of heavy marijuana usage. They recorded the cortical thickness in the frontal cortices of their brains, which is another structural component that facilitates cognitive development in adolescents. If the cortical thickness was smaller than that of healthy non-using adolescents of the same age, that would indicate that the marijuana usage is inhibiting cognitive development (Jacobus, et al 2014). Neurochemical imbalances in adolescent brains have also been found as an impact of marijuana usage. During adolescent brain development, neurotransmitters are naturally released in different amounts over time so that the brain can slowly adjust and create a fixed neurotransmitter release cycle that would continue into adulthood. Psychedelics such as marijuana disrupt this adjustment because they cause an unnatural release of neurotransmitters, specifically dopamine, and according to Harvard Health Publications, “the hippocampus then records the memory of this event, and the amygdala creates a conditioned response, encouraging a person to repeat the behavior.” (Harvard Health Publications, 2020). This implies that this chemical imbalance in the brain causes adolescents to be more susceptible to addiction, since their brains are still adjusting to new amounts of neurotransmitter release and they are cognitively inclined to obtaining the drug and using it. 

Results & Analysis:

In concurrence with mental health, a study consisting of researchers from McGill University and Oxford University analyzed “23,317 individuals (from 11 international studies) to see whether use of cannabis in young people is associated with depression, anxiety and suicidality in early adulthood” (Fischer, 2019). They also reported an increased risk of depression and suicidal ideations in adolescents that consumed cannabis. According to Professor Andrea Cipriani, NIHR Research Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford while on an individual level this risk was moderate but the overall risk is much greater. In the United States alone it is reported that “ around 7%, which translates to more than 400,000 adolescent cases of depression potentially attributable to cannabis exposure.” Oxford University reported heavy usage or have used cannabis before 18 years are more likely to develop marijuana dependency disorder in the early years of adulthood along with psychosis and panic attacks.

In the University of California Study, after administering this test on each adolescent, it was found that more adolescents with continued use of marijuana failed to reject the false memories in comparison to those who practiced abstinence. On average, the group that abstained was able to determine 32 items as false while the experimental group was only able to determine 26 items as false (figure 1).

Cancilliere, 2018.

In the Louisiana State University Study, the data showed that the average cortical thickness of the adolescents that use marijuana was 0.2 mm smaller in diameter, which is scientifically significant, in comparison to non-using adolescents (Jacobus, et al 2014). 

One aspect of the issue that sometimes gets overlooked is the effect of marijuana use on the social wellbeing of adolescents and teenagers. Several studies have tried to understand the effect of social relationships on marijuana use and in what instances it is a contributing factor. One research article, The Social Contagion Effect of Marijuana Use among Adolescents, shows the influence that peers and friends have on increasing marijuana use. A 2009 study from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 10 percent of the youths surveyed reported having used illegal drugs before the age of 13. Marijuana was also the most common type of substance being abused. The article revealed that drug use from peers has a positive and significant effect on an individual’s use. The results display that a 10 percent increase in close friends of an individual, who are using, will increase the likelihood of that person to use by 2 percent. Additionally, there is an association between a 10 percent increase in grade level peers using which showed an increase in the individual using by 4.4 percent. The study did not note any significant difference based on the race of the adolescent. The researchers pointed out that living in a two parent household decreased participation in using. The tests done do not imply causation but are trends and associations. 

Discussion & Conclusion:

With the results of the experimental studies that were aforementioned, it can be concluded that recreational marijuana usage by teenagers should be completely prohibited. Physical health of adolescents through damage of motor skills is at risk according to Dr. Prashad and Dr. Filbey’s experiments. The McGill University and Oxford University studies showed that marijuana can negatively impact the mental health of adolescents by provoking mental illnesses. Damage of cognitive ability and development of adolescents can be correlated to marijuana usage according to studies conducted by the University of Southern California and Louisiana State University. Furthermore, the CDC has implied an association between marijuana usage and a decrease of social well-being in adolescents. While marijuana usage has been legalized for adults past the stage of adolescent development, it should most definitely not be used by adolescents since a plethora of research has exhibited that it can impede on their physical, mental, emotional, and social development. Instead, adolescents should practice abstinence from marijuana. They should be encouraged by their home and educational environments to do so, as parents and teachers should use the results of scientific studies to educate teenagers about the negative effects of marijuana. Furthermore, schools should facilitate better social environments and mental health counseling so that teenagers do not rely on illicit substances to cope with their mental health issues. In conclusion, adolescents should be mindful of the fact that marijuana usage at their age is illegal anywhere in the United States and the scientific evidence proves that it is illegal simply for their own health and well-being. 

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