The amount of cannabis that teenagers are using has skyrocketed. As a result of cannabis becoming legalized in several states in recent years, it has drawn the attention of numerous teenagers who view it as a harmless drug because so many people use it for medical reasons. Since their brains haven’t fully matured by that age, cannabis can actually have a harmful impact on their cognitive growth. As a result, they must be educated to prevent the development of addiction across the country and the long-term brain damage it would cause to millions of people.
Therefore, a study was conducted to see if there is a difference in cognitive development during adolescence between chronic users, occasional users, and non-users. Also, the hypothesis “was that the group of subjects who used cannabis chronically (group 1) would have significantly reduced scores in tasks and planning (ToL) and visuospatial memory (Corsi) compared to the control group (group 3)” (Frolli et al. 2021, 2). Furthermore, the main point/finding of the article is to demonstrate that regular cannabis use while you’re an adolescent can have a negative impact on your cognitive development (reduction in processing, thinking clearly, and retaining information).
The method of the experiment was for the adolescents to answer a questionnaire that consisted of six questions, where the first five involved a five-item Likert scale and the sixth question was a semi-open question concerning the qualification of cannabinoid use. Also, the sixth question determined what subject the participant was and assigned them to one of the three groups. Group one was composed of chronic users of cannabis (at least four times per week for at least a year); group two, which were occasional users of cannabis (about once every two weeks for at least a year); and group three, which was the control group (no substance use). All of the groups had one hundred subjects. All groups anonymously completed the WISC IV (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV) in the school by qualified psychologists belonging to the two reference clinics (FINDS and University of Salerno) (Orsini et al. 2012, cited in Frolli et al. 2021, 3). Also, the Corsi and Tower of London (ToL) subtests from the BVN (Neuropsychological assessment battery for the development age) twelve through eighteen were subsequently administered (Gugliotta et al. 2009, cited in Frollo et al. 2021, 3). Furthermore, data analyses were performed using SPSS 26 (IBM, 2019, New York, NY), a statistical survey software. Then, the results were weighted by the different groups (VCI,PRI, WMI, PSI, IQ) that were from the WISC-IV and the scores from the ToL and Corsi sub-tests through the analysis of variance test (ANOVA), which is a parametric test that allows for the comparison of two or more data groups by comparing the variability within these groups with the variability between groups.
Another study was conducted. The researchers that organized the study were responding to a prior study that was carried out the year before where they used fewer participants from the same area. In the first study, each group had forty-six participants, while the most recent study had one hundred participants in each of the three groups. They conducted a similar study to see if the outcomes would be the same if more adolescents participated, which was evident by looking at the data and figures. In my opinion, due to the recent trend of more adolescents taking cannabis due to legalization, researchers would want to study this because they would have a lot of participants and need to inform the public about these negative effects on adolescents’ cognitive development. In addition, since legalization has occurred recently, people lack knowledge of what it can do to their brains. Parents don’t understand the effects, which motivated this study due to the “explosion” of usage in adolescents.
The authors did acknowledge that additional research and the development of an T0 with IQ ratings and other WISC-IV indicators are needed to further support their findings. The T0 could establish a link between cognitive variables and cannabis use by representing the pre-initiation stage of cannabis use. Also, the lack of data on IQ before cannabis use is another issue, as it means that the conclusion that chronic cannabis use decreased cognitive markers may not have been accurate because pre-existing cognitive vulnerability may have existed. In my opinion, the study could have been improved by including if the adolescents that used cannabis used the one with THC, which is more potent and additive, to determine if that would affect the adolescent usage and cognitive development more. Ultimately, this study is still valid and useful because it helps inform the readers about how chronic usage of cannabis is affecting adolescents’ brains negatively by impacting their cognitive development due to a reduction in processing information, working memory, and so much more.
Additionally, more parents need to know about cannabis usage so that they can help inform their adolescents due to it becoming legalized in many areas. The majority of the time, parents do not want their kids to use drugs like they did, but given the drug’s rising popularity, they must be prepared to learn more about it, be able to communicate with their kids about the risks, and be willing to do so. This could also help adolescents feel more comfortable talking about using this drug, potentially making them not want to use it in the first place.
The majority of adolescents also use drugs as a result of peer pressure and other factors like boredom. Then, once they become addicted, they rely on it to function in their daily lives. Therefore, by establishing a setting like a school, we may assist in educating adolescents about cannabis and even discouraging them from wanting to try it. Then, by attempting to help the adolescent obtain treatment for substance use, nurses who have been informed about the scenario may be better able to recognize and handle it.
In light of the fact that cannabis will always be available, it seems reasonable that adolescents will be more likely to cut back on their overall use of marijuana if they are aware of the harm it causes to the development of their brains. Furthermore, the amount of experimenting that teenagers seek to attempt can vary significantly depending on whether they have parental guidance and overall knowledge of what this substance is and what it impacts as a result of usage.
References
Bomier B. 2022. The parental marijuana dilemma. Environmental Resource Council. https://safeteens.envrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Parental-MJ-Dilemma-Final1.pdf.
Frolli A, Ricci M, Cavallaro A, Lombardi A, Bosco A, Di Carmine F, Operto F, Franzese L. 2021. Cognitive development and cannabis use in adolescents. Behavioral Sciences. 11(3):37. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2503478355/fulltextPDF/1B1AAD82D0AF457APQ/1?accountid=14244.
Frolli A, Ricci C, Cavallaro A, Lombardi A, Bosco A, Operto F, Franzese L. 2020. Executive functions and cannabis use in adolescents. Scientific Neurology; 11(3):54-60. https://www.actascientific.com/ASNE/pdf/ASNE-03-0270.pdf.
Worley J. 2019. Teenagers and cannabis use: Why it’s a problem and what can be done about it. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services. 57(3):11-5. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2187974537/fulltext/E06BD2FEA27540B1PQ/1?accountid=14244.
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