Cannabis and the developing brain: What does the evidence say?

ABSTRACT

Cannabis use during adolescence has been linked to deleterious effects on brain integrity. This article summarizes findings from two prospective investigations (3 and 6 years, on average) on adolescent cannabis use from our laboratory that utilize structural neuroimaging and neurocognitive assessment approaches. Across most studies, findings suggest recency, frequency, and age of onset of cannabis use are likely key variables in predicting poorer neural health outcomes. There is some evidence that preexisting differences in brain architecture may also contribute to vulnerability and outcome differences. Ongoing large-scale prospective studies of youth will be able to disentangle how both cannabis use as well as pre and postexposure differences play a role in divergent outcomes among youth who use cannabis.