Marijuana use and abuse is often reported by students admitted to Logan River Academy. While the frequency and intensity of students’ use varies significantly, their reasoning is usually the same: “it’s not a big deal”, “it helps me more than my meds do”, “it’s a plant, so it’s safe”, “if it’s so bad for me why are states legalizing it?”, or “you can’t be addicted to pot”. As therapists, we all know that marijuana use and abuse is dangerous for the adolescent brain, and we’ve seen the variety of consequences it can have on our students.
Research into the effect of marijuana use on the neurodevelopment of adolescents is giving us some more concrete answers when students press “what’s so bad about pot?”. This story from NPR’s Morning Edition is a well done introduction into some of the neurological effects of marijuana use. The accompanying review article, while fairly research dense, provides a comprehensive overview of research on this subject. While they were clear that further research needs to be conducted, I found it interesting and it gave me better understanding of the effect of marijuana on our students’ brain development.
Sarah Hazelton, LCSW
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