22 Jul Pot Makes Teens Dumb. Duh!
With legalization of marijuana in two states and several others considering it, there has been a resurgence in compelling research about the effects of pot. While most media and political conversations portray it as a harmless substance, research and common sense observation have demonstrated otherwise. In some ways, marijuana may be one of the most harmful of substances, particularly in terms of long-term effects on teens and developing adults.
A study by the National Institute of Drug Abuse indicates that people who smoke pot actually lose intelligence, the capacity to learn. They also observed that smoking cannabis has negative effects on critical thinking—the ability to make wise observations and decisions—as well as memory. These negative effects continue even after one gives up pot altogether.
Teens are most at risk, as their brains are still developing. But this brain development in most adults continues right up until about at 26, meaning young adults also smoke at great risk.
It might be easy to overlook the seriousness of these problems. But informed treatment professionals have long been aware of three problems unique to marijuana use, and the challenges they pose to pot smokers and to those who love them.
1. Marijuana intoxication lasts much longer than the “high”.
People smoke pot primarily for the sense of euphoria and carelessness it is known to induce. This is why many people who are prone anxiety are so drawn to it; they often “self-medicate” as a means of controlling their worries and stress.
But while this high lasts two to four hours (occasionally a bit longer) the intoxication lasts 24 to 36 hours. This means that the short period of pleasant sensations is followed by a very long period of markedly impaired judgment!
Nowhere is this more evident than in the family, where spouses and teen children often observe that dad or mom is not very observant, or “just doesn’t get it”. It is particularly difficult for spouses to rely upon the other for wise input in family decision making.
2. Pot has the unique capacity to slow, halt and occasionally reverse development of the central nervous system.
Smokers who used regularly during their developing years frequently show lower levels of maturity in observation, problem solving, self-regulation, etc. They are not stupid, but think more like people years younger than them.
Remember how differently you thought at thirteen, or fifteen? Now imagine being married to someone whose reasoning has not evolved significantly past that. As a marriage therapist in coastal California I routinely observed that a number of husbands demonstrated stunted cognitive development.
Many of these men were quite successful in their professions, but lacked the maturity to succeed in the home. Whenever I suspected pot as a factor at “freezing” a partner at a certain stage of mental development I simply asked. Each and every couple confirmed that he had begun routine pot use at the age I proposed.
Many of these couples confided that the wife stopped smoking when they began having children, initially for the sake of the unborn child. But as she slowly began to think more clearly she could see the negative effects it had in all aspects of family and social life. The gap between them grew and she often complained that she felt she was married to a boy, not a man. Pot was great for my business, but lousy for families.
3. Marijuana is much more potent than it was in the 1960’s and 70’s.
It is not unusual for marijuana to have ten or even fifteen times the THC—the compound responsible for marijuana’s effects—that it did when current law and policy makers were young. “Oh, my friends and I used to smoke a little, and we’re just fine.” So they are often making policies based upon an outdated, under-informed model of the effects of marijuana.
Wherever you stand on the topic of marijuana, bear in mind that the long-term effects are much greater than previously suspected. Young people who use pot may be trading a short-term escape from reality for a longer-term reality from which there may be no escape.
Michael D. Williams is a licensed psychotherapist, a Marriage and Family Therapist with over 25 years’ experience. Please re-read, comment, and offer questions or suggestions at MichaelWilliamsCounseling.com or call 360-2365.