High-strength “skunk-like” cannabis can lead to brain damage

21 Feb 2019

Cannabis has always been a point of interest for many scientists and researchers. While a few studies done in the past have revealed that Cannabis can be quite good for health, many reports have also indicated towards the harm that it can do to you.

According to a new research, high potency Cannabis poses quite a serious threat to your brain. The study suggests that this high potency cannabis can be extremely dangerous for the white matter cells of your brain, which in turn can have a serious negative impact on your nervous system.

The report comes in after a prolonged study of the study of high potency cannabis smokers, researchers have found a few differences in the white matter of the brain. The white matter links the two halves of the brain and this is possibly one of the most important constituents of the brain. The change was not observed amongst individuals who had never smoked Cannabis or do not do it regularly.

The study explains that the differences seen in the white matter are the first effects that the high potency cannabis has on the human brain. On the later stages, owing to excessive, regular intake, Cannabis starts to affect the Corpus Callosum, which in turn leads to a distorted communication between the right and the left hemisphere of the Brain, leading to a distortion in the nervous system.

The report comes from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, where in the researchers have linked the effects of the high potency cannabis to high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol. The high potency Cannabis has approximately about 10% to 14% of THC, while compared to the general 2% to 4%.

Paola Dazzan, a neurobiologist at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, said in a statement:

“If you look at the corpus callosum, what we’re seeing is a significant difference in the white matter between those who use high potency cannabis and those who never use the drug, or use the low-potency drug.”
“The difference is there whether you have psychosis or not, and we think this is strictly related to the potency of the cannabis,” she added. Details of the study are reported in the journal Psychological Medicine.

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