Marijuana caused more damage to teens' brains than alcohol, study finds

Posted: 2018-10-07

[Study confirms what we knew all along]

USA TODAY NETWORKJoel Shannon, USA TODAY

Published 1:19 p.m. ET Oct. 6, 2018 | Updated 1:32 p.m. ET Oct. 6, 2018

Marijuana use may pose a greater risk to the developing brains of teenagers than alcohol consumption, according to a new study  this week.

The analysis, published Wednesday in the American Journal of Psychiatry, found that cannabis had greater short and long-term consequences than alcohol on four key components of teens' memory. The finding greatly surprised researchers.

"We initially suspected alcohol would have a bigger effect," Patricia Conrod, lead author and professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal told USA TODAY.

Researchers looked at four cognitive functions: Problem solving, long-term memory, short-term memory manipulation and the ability to stop a habitual behavior when needed. Marijuana had "significant" negative effects on all four, while the study could not tie alcohol to negative effects, Conrod said.

READ MORE: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/10/06/marijuana-damaged-teenagers-brains-more-than-alcohol-study-finds/1539574002/

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