Question

Adolecent use of Marijuana can cause a lack of pre-frontal cortex development

Answer 1

I have seen this in my personal life and fully support this claim. In the CDC article linked below, it says that, "Cannabis use directly affects brain function — specifically the parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning, attention, decision-making, coordination, emotions, and reaction time." I have seen many cases of kids who were really bright and had a great future ahead of them get turned into zombies who can't remember what they ate for breakfast because of this stuff. A true shame and it has scientific evidence behind it.

https://www.cdc.gov/cannabis/health-effects/brain-health.html

Answer 2

From what I can find and from what I've seen in this article I would agree that yes marijuana use in adolescence does cause developmental issues. Even at my high school I could see the effects on kids who frequently smoked. A lot of that has to do with the effects weed has on "stress response, anxiety, memory, pain, and motivated behavior." by supressing these critical parts of our brain at a point where they are the most susceptible it changes our brains and causes us to act different, be slower to recall and process, and more. So "The potential association of cannabis use with adolescent development represents an increasingly relevant public health issue, particularly given evidence of increased problematic cannabis use among adolescents in areas where recreational cannabis use has been legalized". based on this research I would say that this claim is true.

https://bbrfoundation.org/content/cannabis-use-adolescence-may-alter-development-cerebral-cortex

Comments

I like how you use multiple quotes and also reference personal experience to give a more personable touch to your response. I also like how often clarify that this is a more pressing issue in adolescents because it affects developmental processes. I think sometimes people try to use arguments like this against adults - on whom those effects might not have such a serious impact).