'Skunk-Like' Cannabis can Damage a Crucial Part of the Brain

Frequent use of high potency cannabis significantly affects the structure of white matter fibers in the brain, whether one has psychosis or not.

Long-term cannabis use increases the risk of psychosis. A new study by researchers from King's College London and Sapienza University of Rome has revealed that high potency cannabis can damage a crucial part of the brain responsible for communication between the two brain hemispheres.

Exploring the impact of cannabis potency is particularly important since today's high potency 'skunk-like' products have been shown to contain higher proportions of THC than they did around a decade ago. In experimental studies THC has been shown to induce psychotic symptoms and 'skunk-like' products high in THC are now thought to be the most commonly used form of cannabis in the UK.

Cannabis
Cannabis has a long history of medicinal, recreational, and industrial use and comes from a bushy plant with thick sticky flowers called Cannabis Sativa

‘High potency cannabis can damage a crucial part of the brain responsible for communication between the two brain hemispheres. These alterations in brain function and structure may increases the risk of psychosis.’

Senior researcher Paola Dazzan said, "We found that frequent use of high potency cannabis significantly affects the structure of white matter fibers in the brain, whether you have psychosis or not. This reflects a sliding scale where the more cannabis you smoke and the higher the potency, the worse the damage will be."

The study found that frequent use of high potency cannabis was linked to significantly higher mean-diffusivity (MD), a marker of damage in white matter structure. Dazzan added, "There is an urgent need to educate health professionals, the public and policymakers about the risks involved with cannabis use."

Source-ANI

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