By Abena Oforiwaa Ampofo
Staff Writer
As the years have gone by, the use of cannabis and other drugs has risen steeply with the drug being legal in 20 US states and the District of Columbia. Before being abused recreationally, cannabis, widely referred to as marijuana or hemp was used medically to treat diseases such as multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and chronic pain.
A recent study by the King’s College London and Sapienza University of Rome has brought to light the dangers of using high-potency ‘skunk-like’ cannabis affects the corpus callosum. The corpus callosum is a structure which connects the two hemispheres of the brain together, making hand-eye coordination possible and regulates cognitive actions. Cannabis contains ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which has been found to induce some disorders.
Marijuana is a hallucinogen and has been found to induce psychosis. The more frequently on uses the drug, the more likely one is to damage the corpus callosum.
Reader in Neurobiology of Psychosis from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, and senior researcher on the study, Dr 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.”
The corpus callosum is made up of white matter which when damaged may cause language defects, delayed memory, and lower hand-eye coordination. Damage to the corpus callosum is a key indicator of future dementia, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s.
In Neshaminy alone, there are quite a few students who have freely admitted to indulging in the drug for its many abilities: inducing relaxation and enabling sleep. A few students were asked their opinions concerning the drug.
“I believe it is a gateway drug and using it only leads to using many others,” Cheryl Bedesem, Neshaminy High School. “I think although it may seem like a good idea to indulge in it now, I think it has detrimental results in the future,” Kate Fleming, Neshaminy High School.
As a person against the use of marijuana, I feel this should be a wakeup call to users as the end results could be disastrous.
