‘Regular cannabis use can negatively impact brain development’

Srinagar: The doctors at the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), Kashmir, on Thursday said that regular cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood could negatively impact brain development.

They said that the long-term use of cannabis affects cognitive functions and could cause severe dysfunction in working memory.

Official statistics indicate that over 9 lakh individuals in Jammu and Kashmir are struggling with drug addiction.

Earlier, the Union Ministry estimated that approximately 1.44 lakh people in J&K were using cannabis, with 36,000 being female and the remaining 1,08,000 being male users.

According to the official data, 20 new cannabis users and 466 follow-up cases were reported at the Drug De-Addiction Centre at SMHS between April 2022 and March 2023.

Additionally, 84 new cases and 150 follow-up cases were registered between March 23 and September 30, 2023.

Dr Yasir Hassan Rather, a professor at IMHANS, told Greater Kashmir that many young people view cannabis as harmless.

“According to a first-of-its-kind research done in our hospital, the fact has come to the fore that regular cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood can negatively impact brain development. It is linked to reduced motivation, memory, and concentration issues, and an increased risk of mental health problems,” he said.

Dr Rather said that its regular use could also lead to cannabis-induced psychosis which was difficult to treat.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about cannabis, but our research shows it does pose risks, particularly for youth. As a parent and teacher, we need to have an open dialogue with adolescent children to provide scientific facts, not fear, so they can make fully informed decisions about cannabis use,” he said.

Earlier, Zoya Mir, a noted clinical psychologist conducted a study along with Dr Rather to understand the cognitive functioning of people who smoke cannabis.

As per the study, 44 percent of Cannabis Dependence Syndrome (CDS) patients were found to have mild dysfunction in memory functioning, and 38 percent of patients were found to have severe dysfunction in memory functioning.

The study found that people who use cannabis would have difficulty in controlling their impulses and have impaired decision-making.

“This impairment affects their daily life, their personal, social as well as academic or occupational life. The findings suggested severe impairments in working memory, attention, and concentration ability, learning new information, visual and verbal memory,” the study reads.

As per the doctors, the Stroop Colour and Word Test (SCWT) is used to assess an individual’s ability to inhibit cognitive interference.

“Interference was found in 72 percent of CDS patients which means there is impairment in inhibitory control. This is because cannabis affects the brain areas responsible for executive functions of selective attention, behavioural control, inhibition of irrelevant stimuli, and cognitive flexibility such as the anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, parietal lobe, striatum, and insula,” the study reads.