Fri, Aug 23rd, 2024
1:15pm
-
14:15:00
AOA Category 1-A CME
Boomer

D - Dangers of Youth Cannabis

OAFP Scientific Assembly

The human brain continues developing through age 25.   Cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood may affect this development and can lead to impaired learning and memory by impacting how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions.  Studies exploring the long-term effects of adolescent cannabis use on cognition, brain structure, and brain functioning compared to adults, suggest that the adolescent brain is far more sensitive to the chemicals in marijuana than the adult brain and research indicates that chronic use during adolescence can lead to a loss of IQ that isn’t recovered even if the individual stops cannabis use in adulthood.