"Addiction is real. It's a slow downhill kind of thing … it takes some
years to get to that low point, and years to slowly build yourself back
up,” said Warner. “Recovery isn’t easy, even for a guy like me..."
By Shamard Charles, M.D.
Chronic pot use may have serious effects on the brain, experts say
More research needs to be done to highlight the long-term effects of marijuana use on the brain, body and our behavior, experts say.
As marijuana legalization builds momentum across the United States — with Michigan becoming the latest state to allow recreational use by adults — researchers are warning that more studies are needed on the long-term effects of chronic pot smoking on the human brain.
Marijuana
is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, but little
is known about its effect on health or how addictive it is.
According to a 2017 poll conducted by Marist College and Yahoo News,
more than half of American adults have tried marijuana at least once in
their lives, and nearly 55 million of them, or 22 percent, say they use
it currently. Close to 35 million are what the survey calls "regular
users," people who say they use marijuana at least once or twice a
month.
"Surprisingly, many people freely
admit to using marijuana, but underreporting remains an issue," said
Jonathan Caulkins, a drug policy researcher and professor at Carnegie
Mellon University. "To correct for that one should fudge upwards by a
factor of 20 to 40 percent."
COMPARING NORMAL BRAIN TO LONG-TERM USERS
COMPARING NORMAL BRAIN TO LONG-TERM USERS
With Michigan's Election Day ballot measure, 10 states and the District of Columbia now allow the drug's open use; 33 states plus D.C. allow medical use, leaving many to wonder if the U.S. will follow Canada's lead in legalizing marijuana nationwide.
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HOW TO RECOVER FROM POT USE
