Smoking cannabis as a teenager can lead to brain damage, scientists have claimed.
A new study has found a clear link between cannabis and brain damage leading to loss of control.
The study indicated that early and regular use of the drug by youngsters is associated with changes in brain circuits that support mental control.
Teenagers are more at risk because their brains have not stopped growing and so “cognitive control” such as regulating behaviour, impulses and decision-making are more disrupted, it is claimed.
Scientists say using cannabis can stunt brain development in youths, limiting their ability to control behaviour and increasing their chances of becoming addicts later in life, as well as making it harder for them to overcome their addiction, reports the Daily Star .
Study lead researcher Dr Marilyn Cyr, of Columbia University in the US, said: "Most adults with problematic substance use now were most likely having problems with drugs and alcohol in adolescence, a developmental period during which the neural circuits underlying cognitive control processes continue to mature.
"As such, the adolescent brain may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of substance use, particularly cannabis-the most commonly used recreational drug by teenagers worldwide."
The discovery was the “first step” in directing early interventions to reduce addiction behaviours based on brain development, said researchers.
Dr Cyr said: "Given that substance use and relapse rates are associated with control processes, interventions such as cognitive training, that specifically target the brain circuits underlying these control processes, may be helpful to complement standard treatment programs for cannabis use disorder."
She added: "The present findings support the mission of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study, a longitudinal study aimed at understanding the developmental trajectory of brain circuits in relation to cannabis use."
The findings were based on MRI scans taken on the brains of 28 young cannabis users, aged 14 to 23, and 32 non-users, while they completed a task which required solving cognitive conflicts.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
