Expert warns cannabis use may increase risk of psychiatric disorders

Marijuana use has become a fixture in the lives of many young Americans, but a leading expert warns the drug may carry more risks than they realize.

Last week, on America’s unofficial “grass day” on April 20 or 20, a leading neuroscientist at Mount Sinai in New York City, Dr. Yasmin Hurd warns that many young users underestimate the potential long-term effects. of the drug

It warns that the “high” substance the drug produces alters a person’s brain chemistry and may even put you at risk of developing serious psychiatric problems.

Sales of the drug in America have increased in recent years as individual states gradually legalize it and put pressure on the federal government to lift restrictions.

“Cannabis contains more than 500 chemicals, including more than 140 cannabinoids, with varying degrees of psychopharmacological activity,” Hurd said at the Harvard neuroscience conference.

He explained that the cannabinoids in tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC as it is often called, the chemical that causes the high level in the drug, interacts with endocannabinoids in the brain.

Dr. Yasmin Hurd, one of Mount Sinai’s top neuroscientists, said at a Harvard conference that if marijuana were benign, no one would use it to get drunk.

Endocannabinoids are responsible for determining how brain cells interact with each other.

The cannabinoids in THC affect and alter the receptors that structure these interactions, creating the feeling that people have when they consume the drug.

“If it sounds intoxicating, it means it binds to a receptor and changes your brain. The question is how long – and does it increase the risk of psychiatric disorders?” he asked.

A common belief among many cannabis users, especially young ones, is that the drug does little or no harm.

While marijuana is not considered harmful or has the addictive properties of other drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and even alcohol, there are potential dangers of frequent use that experts may not have discovered.

“If it was benign, no one would use it,” Hurd said, explaining that the prevalence of the drug shows that it has some sort of effect on a person’s brain chemistry.

Note that about 30 percent of people who take the drug regularly also have a psychiatric disorder.

About half of American adults report previous use of marijuana, which is a record high. Many people who take the drug are not aware of the possible long-term side effects.

One problem for researchers is that they cannot tell whether the drug is causing psychiatric problems or whether people who already suffer from these problems are more likely to turn to the drug to cope with their stress.

Another known issue is the use of the drug in pregnant women, which often impairs their fetus’ brain development.

“Placental programming is essential for abnormalities associated with neurodevelopment and psychiatric risk,” he said.

Marijuana use is legal in some form in all but six states of the United States. It’s completely legal in 18 states, both medical and recreational.

There is strong support for drug legalization in the United States, and a recent CBS poll shows that two-thirds of Americans support it at both the state and federal levels.

Legalization received overwhelming support from Democrats (79%) and independents (67%), with half as many Republicans supporting it.

A Gallup poll last summer found that half of American adults have tried marijuana at least once, that’s a record.