Does smoking marijuana really kill brain cells?
The short answer: No. The long answer: The reason why you ask this is because you probably heard or read somewhere that marijuana damages brain cells, or makes you stupid. These claims are untrue. The first one — marijuana kills brain cells — is based on research done during the second Reefer Madness Movement. A study attempted to show that marijuana smoking damaged brain structures in monkeys. However, the study was poorly performed and it was severely criticized by a medical review board. Studies done afterwards failed to show any brain damage, in fact a very recent study on Rhesus monkeys used technology so sensitive that scientists could actually see the effect of learning on brain cells, and it found no damage. But this was Reefer Madness II, and the prohibitionists were looking around for anything they could find to keep the marijuana legalization movement in check, so this study was widely used in anti-marijuana propaganda. It was recanted later. (To this day, the radical anti
Government experts now admit that – marijuana doesn’t kill brain cells. -Dr. Christine Hartel, Acting Director of Research, National Institute of Drug Abuse(NIDA). Probably why the ONDCP ads have changed direction again. It should also be noted that other drugs, including alcohol, are known to cause brain damage.
If marijuana kills brain cells than I must have more to spare than usual. I too was a pothead during college and yet graduated with a double major and over a 3.5 GPA. One of those majors was a foreign language that I learned to speak more fluently than any non-native speaker I have ever talked with. I then got a job at a bank where all employees were given a drug test (I cheated on it to pass) and strictly prohibited from having any drug metabolite in their system at any time. I also got a perfect score on their math and language aptitude tests while I was applying for the job (and was currently smoking pot). The worst thing that happens to me when I get high is I feel tired, hungry, and paranoid. Oh well. That’s nothing compared with feeling dizzy, nauseous, stupid, and overconfident after drinking alcohol (and let’s not forget that nasty hangover) Even after a night of heavy pot smoking and going to sleep very high, all I have ever experienced the next day was sleepiness and a hard t
This is what it does to the brain if you want to know 😀 Researchers have found that THC changes the way in which sensory information gets into and is acted on by the hippocampus. This is a component of the brain’s limbic system that is crucial for learning, memory, and the integration of sensory experiences with emotions and motivations. Investigations have shown that neurons in the information processing system of the hippocampus and the activity of the nerve fibers are suppressed by THC. In addition, researchers have discovered that learned behaviors, which depend on the hippocampus, also deteriorate. Recent research findings also indicate that long-term use of marijuana produces changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term use of other major drugs of abuse.
