Thursday, April 2, 2009

Is this really a surprise?

For years we've known that alcohol is neuro-toxic. Now a big, systematic review of the research literature suggests that pot smoking is not nearly as dangerous to brain development as drinking. Whatever one thinks of marijuana, the physical evidence of the dangers of youth drinking is clear: significant structural and cognitive effects are noted in subjects who consume as little as 20 drinks per month, "especially if 4-5 drinks are consumed on a single occasion", for a period of 1 to 2 years.

A kid who has 4-5 drinks on most Saturday nights is damaging his brain in perhaps lasting ways.

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