Marijuana and the Brain

Friday, January 24th, 2014

Smoking marijuana seems like it should cause lung damage and lung cancer, but it doesn’t. Now it looks like marijuana might even be good for the brain:

As it turns out, recent studies are starting to contradict the notion that marijuana kills brain cells. Last year, researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel gave low doses of THC, one of marijuana’s primary cannabinoids, to mice either before or after exposing them to brain trauma. They found that THC produced heightened amounts of chemicals in the brain that actually protected cells. Weeks later, the mice performed better on learning and memory tests, compared with a control group. The researchers concluded that THC could prevent long-term damage associated with brain injuries. Though preliminary, this is just one of many promising studies exploring marijuana’s benefits for the brain.

Of course, we also know that drunks are more likely to survive injuries, too.

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