Study: Pot Doesn't Cause Permanent Brain Damage
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Smoking marijuana will certainly affect perception, but it does not cause permanent brain damage, researchers from the University of California at San Diego said on Friday in a study.
"The findings were kind of a surprise. One might have expected to see more impairment of higher mental function," said Dr. Igor Grant, a UCSD professor of psychiatry and the study's lead author. Other illegal drugs, or even alcohol, can cause brain damage.
His team analyzed data from 15 previously published, controlled studies into the impact of long-term, recreational cannabis use on the neurocognitive ability of adults.
The studies tested the mental functions of routine pot smokers, but not while they were actually high, Grant said.
The results, published in the July issue of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, show that marijuana has only a marginally harmful long-term effect on learning and memory.
No effect at all was seen on other functions, including reaction time, attention, language, reasoning ability, and perceptual and motor skills.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...h_marijuana_dc
I'd like to see this study quoted in one of those government commercials.
