Marijuana: Harmful or Helpful?

Researchers in Australia have found that heavy use of marijuana can damage and shrink two key brain structures: the amygdala and the hippocampus, according to a recent Reuters report. The amygdala regulates memory and emotion and the hippocampus controls aggression and fear. Brain scans of long-term male users were found to have significant shrinkages in these structures. On average, these men smoked 5 joints a day over the span of twenty years. It has also been found that heavy pot users scored lower on verbal learning tasks when trying to recall a list of 15 words than non-users did.

This presents a new view on the drug, which in the past has often been revered as a positive plant. Many cannabis supporters praise its multi-faceted properties in that it can be used safely in textiles, foods, soaps and beauty products and much more. Also, the plant itself has been helpful in medical use for cancer patients and those with terminal illness.

With any drug, the effects on its range of users can vary significantly. Some may only notice positive effects and feel relaxed or high, others may feel extremely sick and paranoid when using it and avoid it entirely. Needless to say, this drug-recreational or medical may come under closer scrutiny after this study.

A group supporting the US sale of marijuana argued with this research, stating that the all of the test subjects were heavy male users, so it didn’t fairly factor in all effects in all subjects. “These were people who were essentially stoned everyday all day for 20 years. It said nothing about moderate or occasional users, who are the vast majority”, said Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Bruce Mirken, when challenging this study.

So the question still remains: is marijuana more harmful than it is helpful on its users?