In the 1930s, a certain mythology began to sprout around marijuana. A propaganda film began spreading the word that marijuana use would immediately send teenagers into a life of criminal activity and psychotic frenzy. The film was initially funded by a church group and marketed to parents as a cautionary tale.
Of course, this portrayal of the danger of cannabis was completely fictional and totally inaccurate; this film, “Reefer Madness,” has achieved cult status as an exploitation film and unintended satire.
But that doesn’t mean cannabis has zero risks. Now, as cannabis products become more readily available along with relaxing state laws across the country, Indiana University Researchers are evaluating how regular cannabis use may affect the mental health of adolescents in adulthood.
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Neuroscientists Ken Mackie and Hui-Chen Lu have received more than $2 million from the NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse investigate the impact of cannabis use during adolescence, with the intention of contributing to the development of new therapies and treatment options.
As part of their study, Lu and Mackie will use male and female mice with diverse genetic backgrounds to study the impact cannabis has on people.
Recent studies have indicated that cannabis products, especially the modified strains that have increased in popularity, may have a negative effect on brain development.
“The THC content of cannabis has increased dramatically in the last 20 to 25 years. This is concerning because many of the adverse effects appear to be due to THC,” Mackie said.
THC is the chemical compound in marijuana that causes the psychological effect of feeling high. Although cannabis can be used as a relaxant in the moment, it can have the opposite effect later on.
“A lot of teenagers like that excitement and think it has no impact when they grow up,” Lu said. “We want to know how it leads to long-term changes.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that people who use marijuana are more likely to develop temporary psychosis, where they may have hallucinations or extreme bouts of paranoia. Long-term use, especially at a young age, can also contribute to developing mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, later in life.
“We’re not trying to say that marijuana is bad in general,” Lu said. “We just have to understand the risks and try to be aware and be careful.”
Like cannabis, THC enters the brain’s growth buds
“I like to emphasize that our brains are not identical,” Lu said.
The brain is elastic, Lu explained. Just like the body, it goes through growth spurts. This explains why people can learn new things faster at a young age than when they are older. During periods of time when the brain is being rewired, it is more vulnerable to environmental factors.
During adolescence, the brain is developing its prefrontal cortex.
“This part of the brain is really important for what are called executive functions, which are things that are involved in planning, working memory and more complex social interactions. During this period, the way the brain develops it’s by making specific synaptic connections,” Mackie said.
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These connections are mostly established at a young age and are strengthened or removed over time. But elements in cannabis products, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can overwhelm these functions.
That said, Mackie was quick to note that marijuana use doesn’t always lead to brain dysfunction.
“Many of these neurodevelopmental disorders (autism, schizophrenia) often seem to be caused by multiple small ‘hits.’ Any one of these alone is not enough to cause a problem, but when you add them all up, then it causes a problem. Cannabis use appears to be one of those hits that can increase the risk of panic disorder or schizophrenia,” Mackie said.
As detailed in a 2020 study, about 8% of eighth graders, 19% of 10th graders, and 22% of 12th graders reported using marijuana in the past year. This comes after a two-fold increase in use by teenagers over the past two years.
Lu and Mackie will also break new ground by exploring the potential impact of cannabidiol (CBD), which is still largely unknown to the scientific community.
“You see it everywhere on the street. I even see it in my doctor’s office and in my yoga studio,” Lu said. “It has been advertised as a wonder drug without any harm.”
According to Mackie, CBD could have a positive effect as it has previously been shown to lessen the negative impact of THC when taken together. However, further tests by Lu and Mackie aim to identify this potential impact.
A possible preventive solution is to follow Vermont i Connecticutleads in imposing limits on THC concentration. In addition, California recently had a proposed law this would require large mental health warnings to be included on cannabis products.
But Mackie and Lu’s research is intended to be used for possible treatment options later on.
“We’re not interested in telling people how bad this is going to be when they get to adulthood. We’re also helping to understand at a mechanistic level so we can find treatment options for them,” Lu said. “Because you don’t want to just give bad news to people with no treatment options.”
Contact Rachel Smith at rksmith@heraldt.com or @RachelSmithNews on Twitter.