Why does everyone still think that pot kills brain cells?

its been proven false for years. in addition, there are a number of cannabinoids that have neuroprotective qualities to them. for example, the cannabinoid agonist (WIN 55,212-2) has been shown to slow the progression of alzheimer's even more so than the current medication used (donepezil and tacrine).

some other cannabinoids have been shown to prevent against other types of brain damage

(while i am not advocating pot use, i am advocating the use of cannbinoids for medical treatment)

yet, with all this research done and published in regular newspapers and peer-revied journals. many people still believe it literally kills brain cells. why is that?

if you think i am wrong, then provide evidence

"Marijuana affects your brain. THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) affects the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed."

think about this

yes of course it affects your brain, food affects your brain. but if it damaged nerve cells dont you think the goverenment would come out and say that exact statement?

in addition they have never said: "pot causes cancer" b/c there has never been a proven link (carcinogens or not if cannabinoids modulate the activation receptors then it will not cause cancer)

I sincerely believe that too much of anything can be harmful to your health. Including pot.

All I know is I knew several people who had that habit and smoked it a lot for decades. Quite a few of them ended up with brain tumours and died. I honestly think it was related to the pot.

Furthermore, smoking is not good for your lungs, whether it be tobacco or pot. In fact, pot has more harmful substances in it's smoke than tobacco.

I'm not saying your wrong or right, I am just going to say that I believe that it kills brain cells because of the people that I know that have smoked it more than once a day, everyday. When I talk to these people now they are nothing like what they used to be. These people talk real slow and sound like they have no idea whats going on around them. Pretty much they talk and act like they're fried.

You are preaching to the choir here.

I agree with you. We have to stop looking for a boogeyman at every corner.

Cannabinoids are actually a CNS depressant--the theory being that anything that is a CNS depressant does not necessarily kill brain cells, but does supress CNS activity.

I don't believe pot kills brain cells, causes cancer, or makes people "slow". If you know somebody that smokes weed and is "slow", its probably because he/she is on a different drug. A lot of people who aren't afraid to smoke pot probably tried getting high on inhalents before or explored crack or heroin, which would account for the health problems.

The human brain reaches full maturity between the ages of 18 and 25. Any mind-altering chemicals introduced to the system before the completion of that development can slow or even halt it.

Think about this the next time you see a teen with a joint... or a bong... or-- well, you get the idea.

I understand what you are saying and have read the many reports in which you speak of but it has also been PROVEN in those same research studies that marijuana can cause severe brain damage in some and severe psychosis.

Here is just one very small excerpt from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

EDIT:: OK SMOKING POT DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER AND ACCORDING TO YOU THEY HAVE NEVER SAID THIS....... THIS IS WHAT THEY SAY...IT DOES CAUSE CANCER AND MORE THAN 1 TYPE.................
Effects on the Lungs

A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers8. Many of the extra sick days among the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.

Even infrequent abuse can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency to obstructed airways9. Smoking marijuana possibly increases the likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck. A study comparing 173 cancer patients and 176 healthy individuals produced evidence that marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of these cancers10.

Marijuana abuse also has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens9,11. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke12. It also induces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form鈥攍evels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells13. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs' exposure to carcinogenic smoke. These facts suggest that, puff for puff, smoking marijuana may be more harmful to the lungs than smoking tobacco.



Marijuana affects your brain. THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) affects the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed.

Marijuana affects your self-control. Marijuana can seriously affect your sense of time and your coordination, impacting things like driving. In 2002, nearly 120,000 people were admitted to emergency rooms suffering from marijuana-related problems, an increase of more than 139 percent since 1995


More studies need to be done by Scientists until they know the FULL effects on the brain before they start passing this out if even for medical reasons. The intent would be to help people not to harm them. If ALL is not known then the potential for harm to be done would still remain. Please let me know if you need more harmful facts before you will be convinced that this is not a healthy alternative.