Abstract
Drug abuse is a widespread issue that affects many Americans. In 2020, approximately 53 million Americans, aged 12 years and older, have either misused prescription drugs, or used illegal drugs.1 People might be unaware of the potential effects of drugs, such as cannabis, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and cocaine, and the damage they can cause. Cannabis A 2014 study that assessed how cannabis use affects brain structure included 22 subjects that smoked cannabis occasionally and 25 subjects that smoked cannabis regularly.2 Subjects underwent brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to evaluate the effects of cannabis on the brain. Regular cannabis users had decreased gray matter volume compared with the occasional cannabis users.2 In addition, the age at which users started to use cannabis correlated with the degree of gray matter loss in the brain. Cannabis use at a young age, an age when the user’s cerebellum is not yet fully developed, might explain the increase in gray matter loss.2 A functional MR imaging brain scan revealed that areas of the brain that affect motivation and decision making are altered in the brains of regular cannabis users.
NSTL