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Cannabis in Adolescence: Lasting Cognitive Alterations and Underlying Mechanisms
Abstract: Cannabis consumption during adolescence is an area of particular concern, owing to changes in the social and political perception of the drug, and presents a scientific, medical, and economic challenge. Major social and economic interests continue to push toward cannabis legalization as well as pharmaceutical development. As a result, shifting perceptions of both legal and illicit cannabis use across the population have changed the collective evaluation of the potential dangers of the product.
The wave of cannabis legalization therefore comes with new responsibility to educate the public on potential risks and known dangers associated with both recreational and medical cannabis.
Among these is the risk of long-term cognitive and psychological consequences, particularly following early-life initiation of use, compounded by high-potency and heavy/frequent use of the drug. Underlying these cognitive and psychiatric consequences are lasting aberrations in the development of synaptic function, often secondary to epigenetic changes. Additional factors such as genetic risk and environmental influences or nondrug toxic insults during development are also profound contributors to these long-term functional alterations following adolescent cannabis use. Preclinical studies indicate that exposure to cannabinoids during specific windows of vulnerability (e.g., adolescence) impacts neurodevelopmental processes and behavior by durably changing dendritic structure and synaptic functions, including those normally mediated by endogenous cannabinoids and neuronal circuits.
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Conclusions: Accurate and informative labelling of hemp and hemp-derived CBD products is an important public health issue. FDA-regulated product labels are considered an essential tool for protecting consumers and enabling informed decision-making. Untruthful or unsubstantiated health-related claims, and unallowed Drug Claims, in marketing materials and on labels of CBD products may create harm by enticing consumers to forgo more evidence-based medical interventions. Furthermore, missing or inaccurate labelling of the amount of CBD, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and potentially harmful contaminants such as pesticides, naturally-occurring yeast and mold or heavy metals may result in harm and/or lack of efficacy. Manufacturers of these products may reasonably be expected to understand and adhere to FDA regulations for labelling and marketing of food, dietary supplements and drugs, both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription, even though FDA has interpreted federal law as excluding them from these categories. As manufacturers prepare for forthcoming regulations, a better understanding of the basic framework for FDA labelling and marketing regulations for food, dietary supplements and drugs is warranted.
Also see
- Heavy metal and phthalate contamination and labelling integrity in a large sample of commercially available cannabidiol (CBD) products
- FDA, FTC warn company marketing unapproved cannabidiol products
- FDA Says Most CBD Products May Not Be Safe, and Warns 15 Companies to Stop Selling Them
- What You Need to Know (And What We’re Working to Find Out) About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds, Including CBD
- Dr Robert L Dupont's written Testimony to the FDA Regarding the Health Impacts of CBD
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Geospatiotemporal and Causal Inferential Study of European Epidemiological Patterns of Cannabis- and Substance-Related Congenital Orofacial Anomalies
Conclusion. Rising cannabis use is associated with all the Facial Congenital Abnormalities and fulfils the epidemiological criteria for causality. The data indicate particular concerns relating to brain development and exponential genotoxic dose-responses, urging caution with regard to community cannabinoid penetration.
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Key Points
- Driving under the influence of cannabis has been identified as a public health concern as medical and recreational cannabis availability increases in some countries.
- A recent randomized clinical trial found similar levels of acute driving impairment with THC-dominant cannabis and with a combination of THC-CBD equivalent cannabis using on-road driving tests that provided real-world conditions; however, CBD-dominant cannabis did not produce significant cognitive or psychomotor impairment compared with placebo in this trial.
- Media coverage of this study conveyed the findings as CBD-dominant cannabis not causing driving impairment while THC-dominant cannabis does, with the latter lasting up to 4 h post-dose.
- It is recommended that clinicians counsel about the risks of driving impairment when patients disclose use of cannabis products containing THC.
Also See
Cannabis use altering key functions like three-dimensional vision
“Medicinal” Cannabis & Driving – is it an Issue?
- Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments
- Promoting Pot Increases Use – But Challenging Cannabis Harms, Shifts Attitudes Too.
- Pediatric Hospitalizations for Unintentional Cannabis Poisonings and All-Cause Poisonings Associated With Edible Cannabis Product Legalization and Sales in Canada
- Brains for Babies & Genes for Generations: The Gene Corrupting Collateral Damage of Cannabis