Sbol 06 28 2018

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THE PRINT EDITION

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018

VOLUME XIX- ISSUE 61

Not Pot for this Summer: Adolescent Brain Development 101 By Richard Campbell Now that the flood gates are about to open on the Massachusetts marijuana experiment, as a follow-up on Rick Winterson’s questions last week, it would be prudent to introduce some of the latest studies on the effects of the drug on the adolescent brain. The one thing that should be remembered is that adolescent brains (particularly male adolescent brains) are not fully formed and the consequences of smoking pot at this stage in life are different from adult use in many ways. Anyone who has read the literature will come to this conclusion. From more “mild” effects, like partial cognition and memory impairment, to the extreme effects for adolescents with vulnerable genetic predisposition towards mental illnesses, the record is not very encouraging. For teenagers: remember that your brain is still developing, and while it does, it needs to be protected. Protecting your brain involves controlling your behavior, and not being too easily influenced

by those who might introduce you to risky behaviors. Regular marijuana use causes a number of health problems for adolescents- perhaps the most important one being damage to cognition. Without hitting the panic button, adolescents and adults should look carefully at medical studies, and consider whether social conventions, or peer pressure should outweigh science. Educators are already aware that the coming wave of legal marijuana requires them to up their game on the elementary school levels. To all high school students: be aware that science often wins over popular myth. The negative effects of marijuana on the normal adolescent brain are revealed in an increasing mountain of evidence. Of course, any adolescent who smokes pot on a daily basis probably is interrupting cognitive function enough to make learning this in school a lot more difficult. Medical researchers measuring real long-term effects, while not always conclusive, are pointing towards early cannabis use as being very destructive

Happy Fourth of July From South Boston Online It is high summer, our nation is still strong, and most important, we are FREE, blessedly free. Celebrate our Independence this July 4 (but please do it safely).

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