Pubdate: Fri, 19 Jun 2015
Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418
Author: Rob O'Flanagan
Page: A1
Cited: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse: http://www.ccsa.ca 
Referenced: Adolescent Marijuana Use and Its Impact on the Developing 
Brain: http://mapinc.org/url/0ITCRupD

CANADIAN YOUTH POT USE TOPS IN DEVELOPED WORLD

Numerous Mental, Physical Health Risks, Report Says

GUELPH - Marijuana is not harmless. In fact, it is potentially 
damaging to the developing brains of young people, a new report from 
the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse concludes. The negative 
effects may be long-lasting.

Pot has the reputation of being a safe substance, but "The Effects of 
Cannabis Use During Adolescence," co-edited by University of Guelph 
president Franco Vaccarino, strongly contradicts that assumption.

"Because of the rapid changes in brain structure and function that 
occur during adolescence, use of cannabis during this developmental 
period can have negative cognitive, mental health and physical 
effects," the report states.

Numerous studies point to short- and long-term physical, mental and 
psychosocial effects from marijuana use among youth, especially in 
high-frequency users, and among those who start using the drug before 
the age of 15.

"What we found is that cognitive functioning is impaired, and some of 
those functions can include thinking, the ability to pay attention, 
multi-tasking, memory, and decision-making," said Amy Porath-Waller, 
director of research and policy with Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.

One New Zealand study that followed young people found that early and 
frequent marijuana use resulted in lower IQ scores in adulthood.

Porath-Waller said until now there had not been a report that pulled 
together all the evidence outlining what is known and unknown about cannabis.

The impact of the drug on the developing brain, and whether the 
impacts are permanent or reversible, is a growing area of research, she said.

"There is a lot of misperception out there about whether cannabis is 
a benign substance or whether there are harms associated with it," 
she said, adding that CCSA research with youth across Canada found 
that misinformation was prevalent. It appears that as the perception 
of risk decreases, rates of cannabis use increase.

"We were quite surprised by what we were hearing from our young 
people," she said. "There seems to be a lot of misperceptions."

She said pot is widely thought to be a natural substance that can 
help young people academically, and even make them safer drivers. The 
opposite is closer to the truth. The report says the "most 
significant acute safety concern" for youth associated with cannabis 
is driving while high.

"There has been this perception that cannabis may not have the kind 
of performance debilitating effects that we need to worry about with 
respect to driving," said Vaccarino, an international expert in 
addiction, and a professor of psychology. "And that's just not the 
case. There is a study that suggests that the acute affects of 
cannabis increase the risk of motor vehicle crashes by two to three 
times. And the risk increases when cannabis is mixed with alcohol."

Vaccarino said the report by the national body brought together the 
findings of the world's leading researchers on the subject of 
marijuana use in youth 15 to 24 years.

Canadian youth consume more marijuana than any other illicit drug, 
and more of it than youth in any other developed country. Pot is the 
most popular illegal drug among Canadians aged 15-19, with about 22.4 
per cent reporting past year use in 2013. The percentage is 23 per 
cent in Ontario. The highest use is in Nova Scotia at 34 per cent.

Mounting scientific evidence shows that youth put themselves at risk 
of mental health problems by using the drug, possibly increasing the 
risk of schizophrenia, and the risk of depression and suicide. The 
risks increase with the frequency of use. Regular users are more at 
risk of using other illicit drugs, the report states.

"One of questions that the report asks in terms of future directions 
is trying to understand what underlies these numbers, the prevalence 
of it," Vaccarino said, adding that public perception of the drug as 
benign likely contributes to its prevalence.

The report, he said, is based on the latest scientific research on 
the impacts the drug has on the developing adolescent brain, during a 
time of life when the brain is in a state of developmental flux and 
change biologically. Over the past decade there has an ever-expanding 
body of knowledge amassed on cannabis, its interactions with the 
developing brain, and its effects on later life, Vaccarino added.

"People just need to understand what the facts are with respect to 
the interaction between psychoactive drug taking and the developing 
brain," he said. "There is a threshold that we have reached where we 
can very comfortably talk about some of these affects," he said.

Porath-Waller said it is very important the young people are aware of 
the potential harm that cannabis can cause. CCSA works with a number 
of professional and educational organizations to propagate the 
evidence about cannabis.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom