Long term Cannabis effects on brain

[F1n1shed]

Someone please go through the long term negative effects with weed. I know a lot about other drugs especially E on how they effect the brain but not so much with weed. Funny enough its the main drug i use, and abuse it. Have been smoking for 5 ish years, more than 2 of those years being daily. My bud is almost always high grade medical weed, potent stuff. So i know when you smoke thc bind to your cannabinoid receptors which gets you high. Can someone shed some light on what chemicals your brain releases when this happens, i think dopamine and serotonin are indirectly released. Since cannabis works on natural neurotransmitters in the brain i know it shouldn't have permanent damage and such. But with daily use for long periods of time am i causing some damage (not perm) or am i just throwing an imbalance of chemicals in my brain until the THC is released off the cannabinoid receptors which takes some time i know. I am really trying to take a break but i can't seem to, someone please try and scare me from smoking so much weed. Maybe if there is some long term damage i need to be more aware of and such. : )

 

[Mr_Fluffykins]

it doesn't cause brain damage, and actually may help slow alheimers

 

[A_Speedball]

its been linked to psychotic ilness, especially schizophrenia. thats why i quit.

 

[Casualty]

its been linked to psychotic ilness, especially schizophrenia. thats why i quit.

That has more to do with wether or not your family has a history of mental illness. If you find a strain with high cbd you probably wouldnt have to worry about it at all.

 

[Casualty]

Someone please go through the long term negative effects with weed.

There aren't any. Cannabis promotes Neurogenesis (formation of new brain cells) and is a powerful anti-oxidant.
If you have a predisposition for mental illness then it is possible that regular use could potentially cause earlier onset.

A recent study shows that long term cannabis smokers were 62% less likely to get head neck or lung cancer.

Short term memory loss issues can be offset by using strains with higher Cannabidiol(CBD) levels.

Edit to add sources for some of this info:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCAym9bnI8Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlBJMi2qw5g
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/180/8/797
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19425170

 

[purple_cloud]

I don't think I'm gonna keep this open for too much longer --- it's all "I heard this." Please start posting some sources to back up what you're saying, not just saying that "studies show" it.

 

[whitemilk661]

Does anybody have any knowledge on cannabis and stroke risk?

 

[Casualty]

I don't think I'm gonna keep this open for too much longer --- it's all "I heard this." Please start posting some sources to back up what you're saying, not just saying that "studies show" it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCAym9bnI8Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlBJMi2qw5g
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/180/8/797
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19425170


plenty of studies to back up what I said.. I figured it would be common knowledge on this forum.. sry I'm new here.

go to pubmed type in "cannabinoids and cancer" in their search and you can spend a day reading many many studies showing anti tumoral effects for all types of cancers.

 

[Casualty]

Does anybody have any knowledge on cannabis and stroke risk?

It is possible that Cannabis can help protect you from suffering brain damage due to a stroke by activating cb2 receptors.

Wikipedia defines a stroke as

"A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), is the rapidly developing loss of brain function(s) due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia (lack of blood flow) caused by blockage (thrombosis, arterial embolism), or a hemorrhage (leakage of blood).[1"


According to this study.
""CB(2) agonists inhibit neutrophil recruitment to the brain and protect against ischemic brain injury"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19884325

someone correct me if I'm reading this study wrong.

Another article says.

"Stroke associated with drug abuse has been frequently reported, particularly in young patients. The most commonly implicated drugs include cocaine, heroine, and amphetamines. Despite its widespread abuse, cannabis associated stroke is only infrequently reported. The cause and effect association between cannabis use and stroke is not firmly established."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19329702

 

[littlesparkle]

based on personal experience i would say memory loss

 

[Chainer]

go to pubmed type in "cannabinoids and cancer" in their search and you can spend a day reading many many studies showing anti tumoral effects for all types of cancers.

While this is certainly true, let's not go the extreme and act like there are no long term effects of cannabis use.... but it all depends.

If you are a heavy user or a habitual abuser of the plant, let's say you smoke 3.5 grams of top grade to yourself a day for a year - you are sure to have heavy side effects.

This would likely be due to a few factors: 1) you're inhaling a lot of smoke. I don't care what the smoke is originating from, smoke in your lungs =/= good. In fact, it *can* cause cancer, regardless of what other anti-cancer causing agents it does display (reduction of brain tumors, for instance) 2) You are becoming mentally dependent on the high and could perhaps be using it as a crutch.

Most, if not all, of the long-term cannabis abuse/use side effects can be reversed with a long break, or by using only tinctures and oral preparations.

 

[Sentience]

its been linked to psychotic ilness, especially schizophrenia. thats why i quit.

This is BS.

While it was published, it has been debunked. The entire claim rested on a multiple choice quiz in a very sketchy environment which was created for the purpose of inducing paranoia while on marijuana. This was not a meta-study showing that there is a cause effect relationship with mental illness and marijuana.....all it was based on was that people answered True to the following questions....in approximation from memory.

1. "Do you feel like you have to hide certain things about yourself from others".

Come on! Are you Serious?!! It is perfectly rational to hide illegal activities in a society like ours. That is not a sign of mental illness!!! However, in psychology it is categorically a symptom if hiding your activities is a sign of antisocial behavior. In the case of marijuana however, it is perfectly rational.

2. "Do you ever feel like people are out to get you, or that people would judge you if they knew what you were doing"?

Goddamn people....If you are doing something illegal then there actually ARE people out to get you!@! They are called cops, and they are some of the scummiest threats to human well being you will ever meet. You would do well to avoid them.

Thats it.


Now, beyond this bogus study which has been debunked, there may be a very very very slight association between mental illness and pot smoking....but the association is so small and unlikely that it is proposed that it is much more likely that mental illness leads to self medicating through marijuana, since its a higher percentage of people with mental illness using, but a very very very tiny percentage of marijuana users who ever develop any long term mental illness.

In my opinion, except in very rare instances where people are predisposed, it is not likely that a normal person will develop mental illness because they smoke marijuana.....maybe a TEMPORARY anxiety or paranoia, or worsening of existing symptoms....but you are not going to go from normal to psychotic because you smoke pot.

Reefer madness has its roots in racism. Even though alcohol is more toxic to the brain and nervous system and ever other system of the body, marijuana was associated with non-white minorities and musicians while alcohol had reached the mainstream of wealthy white male society.....that is the only reason alcohol prohibition ended before marijuana prohibition. Racism and deliberate misrepresentation of facts.

 

[Sentience]

One side effect however is an increased proliferation of THC receptors. It can affect the synapses between different parts of the brain....which is not necessarily a bad thing and will not necessarily lead to any long term cognitive impairment, though you might have a different perspective than other people because you have lived your life in a different state of consciousness, with different neuro-associations and synapses forming according to your experiences.

At very very high doses delivered absolutely constantly without break for extended periods of time....years, never letting yourself experience a sober moment....you might end up not producing enough of your own internal TCH which is important for learning....however, just like weening off thyroid medication or any hormone replacement therapy, this rebound effect will vanish after a few months of getting clean....unlike alcohol damage to neurons which is more permanent.

 

[Casualty]

In response to Chainer3k:

Agree with most of what you say. Moderation is key for sure.

Except that there is contradictory evidence to your supposition that you can still get cancer from heavy marijuana smoking. According to the NIDA funded 30 year study done by Dr. Donald Tashkin at UCLA.. even heavy marijuana smokers were no more likely to get lung cancer then Non Smokers. Same for COPD and Emphysema. He claims in some interviews that it is probably due to the protective effects.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17035389

You are still at risk of Chronic Bronchitis however from smoking...definately better to Vape or ingest.

 

[Sentience]

Marijuana seems to have a PROTECTIVE effect against most cancers, an overall protective effect against cancer, with a slight increase in the risk of some rarer cancers like esophagus cancer. However, since other forms of cancer are more likely, you are getting an overall protective effect against cancer....its a BENEFIT, not a drawback.

This is in scientific literature.

However, tar is still bad for lungs. This can be minimized by not smoking with tobacco....more of a UK problem than a US problem....and using a vaporizer instead of joints.....water bong doesnt help much with tar, but it does help reduce particulate ash which is the biggest oxidant and possible the biggest danger next to tar.

 

[jamesmartin]

I think for SOME it can effect their short term memories and learning abilities .

But there really aren't any other negative long term effects apart from that.

 

[weekend addiction]

From my personal experience this only comes with heavy use and with good pot. Try smoking regular weed and try not to smoke too much even though its cheap. If you want my definition of too much...limit yourself to less than a gram of a day of brick weed.

 

[Monkeybizness]

its been linked to psychotic ilness, especially schizophrenia. thats why i quit.

Wtf. I think your confusing mj with another drug.

I think if you only use mj and no other drug ever through out , there might be little to non effects. mj is very harmless, but if you add in the mix. E. Meth. Amps. Coke. Lsd . Shrooms. and all the weird SHIT ppl put in their brains and body you'll see some bad effects come into place . That is what causes psycosis and mental illness NOT MJ. .

Very ill informed thing to say.

 

[Artificial Emotion]

It's strange how psychiatrists are so ignorant then. All the ones I've come into contact with have no doubt that there is a link between cannabis use and the development of psychosis in predisposed individuals.

 

[rickolasnice]

Does anyone know where i could find these studys?

Both from http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/problems/alcoholanddrugs/cannabis.aspx

Depression
A study following 1600 Australian school-children, aged 14 to 15 for seven years, found that while children who use cannabis regularly have a significantly higher risk of depression, the opposite was not the case - children who already suffered from depression were not more likely than anyone else to use cannabis. However, adolescents who used cannabis daily were five times more likely to develop depression and anxiety in later life.

Schizophrenia
Three major studies followed large numbers of people over several years, and showed that those people who use cannabis have a higher than average risk of developing schizophrenia. If you start smoking it before the age of 15, you are 4 times more likely to develop a psychotic disorder by the time you are 26. They found no evidence of self-medication. It seemed that, the more cannabis someone used, the more likely they were to develop symptoms.