Many people fear that cannabis’ long term effects on the human body, include dead brain cells. Before you jump to conclusions, please note that this is just hearsay; even if there’s the slightest possibility of marijuana and its cannabinoids leading to dead brain cells, we aren’t sure of it at the moment owing to a dearth of research on the long-term effects of the drug.
When Dr. Ajeet Sodhi, a neurologist based in Thousand Oaks, Calif, was asked this question, he replied “New studies are showing that the CBD compounds also have neuroprotective effects, and have been shown to be beneficial for several neurologic disorders such as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.”
Analyzing this answer, we thought that we can at least clear CBD of such ‘brain cells assassination’ accusation and sit rest assured. However, Dr. Indra Cidambi, founder and medical director of the Center for Network Therapy (CNT), brought us back to square one with these words “While CBD is surely growing in popularity, it lacks sufficient long-term-use research.”
Dr. Sodhi says that THC’s long-term effects on the brain are what is more worrisome, as it has long been suspected – and now backed by a few studies and cases – that the psychoactive cannabinoid could lead to memory problems, worsen paranoia, and even schizophrenia.”
Only recently, the National Healthcare System (NHS) of The United Kingdom launched Britain’s first cannabis clinic to treat patients suffering from psychosis developed due to long-term use of skunk (high potency cannabis common in the UK).
In the conventional sense, however, THC can’t kill brain cells
Dr. Sodhi says that heavy cannabis use may lead to addiction, but it can’t actually “kill” brain cells in adult users. “Getting high is not synonymous with brain cells being killed. The high is an altered state produced by the psychoactive compound THC, a mild hallucinogen,” he confirms. “Neither THC nor cannabis ‘kills’ brain cells in the conventional sense, so there’s really no need to quantify damage to the brain.”
