Alcohol is more harmful than marijuana to the developing brain

Parents should be concerned about alcohol abuse and not marijuana if their children are teenagers because alcohol affects the developing brain. Two recently published studies show that alcohol - a legal substance (although teenagers are not allowed to drink alcohol in the United States) is considered more dangerous than marijuana - illegal substances in many. nation.

A new study published recently in the United States, in Clinical EEG and ENCS on neuroscience, shows that alcohol has a stronger impact on adolescent brain development than marijuana. Another study published in the Lancet provides the results of the classification of a group of British experts, with the content that alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana for individuals and society.

The US study was conducted by Squeglia, Jacobus and Tapert of the University of San Diego, University of California San Diego. The study investigates the brain development of adolescents because this stage has certain characteristics, besides the impact of substance abuse on the brain is also very special at this stage. Because alcohol and marijuana are the two commonly used by students, it is not surprising that the study is interested in the heterogeneous traits in the brain stemming from the habit of abusing these substances.

Is marijuana less dangerous than alcohol? (Photo: PhysOrg)

When scientists identify abnormalities of the brain - in terms of the structure and function of the brain, cognitive activity and quality of white matter - it seems that alcohol has a stronger impact than marijuana. Drinking a lot of alcohol, about 20 times a month, can detect abnormalities in the brain.People with severe marijuana addiction also have unusual characteristics but do not reach high levels like alcoholics.

Findings from the US study suggest that drinking alcohol in adolescents causes more abnormal brain functions than marijuana, which may explain an attempt to encourage the classification of narcotics in England. In Lancet, David Nutt of Bristol University, along with his colleagues, asked psychologists and police to be trained in medicine and science to classify different types of substances based on their level. danger. Research shows that professionals who put alcohol and tobacco at higher risk than marijuana. The list includes 20 types of substances, alcohol is at the 5th position, tobacco is at 9th place, and cannabis or hemp drugs stand at 11th place.

These studies have provided more energy for movements in both the United States and the United Kingdom to reclassify marijuana. Those who call for restrictions on marijuana will certainly rely on these scientific studies to say that we should legalize less dangerous substances.