Cannabis is never safe for developing brains

With the rise of countercultural movements in the ’60s and ’70s, pot became a symbol of rebellion, peace and freedom. Many of today’s parents fondly remember those days.

But that was then, and this is now. Pot is no longer the benign high many of us experienced in high school and college 30 or 40 years ago. Instead, I’ve seen in my practice an alarming increase in the number of teens and young adults who slip into some form of mental illness, from depression, paranoia and anxiety to permanent psychosis, associated with their use of cannabis. Some will recover. Some never will.

The National Institutes of Health, as well as Yale, Harvard and Johns Hopkins have all studied the effect of marijuana toxicity on the developing brain. The brain is in a developmental state until the age of 26 or 27, making teenagers and young adults, between the ages of 15 and 30, particularly vulnerable.

“Substance use and addictive behaviors really begin for the majority of people during adolescence, which is a period of time where the brain is still maturing and is more sensitive to the effects of exposure to drugs,” says Christopher Hammond, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins who works with adolescents and young adults.

Are all young people affected like this? Not necessarily. Brains are different, but for someone with a predisposition toward a mood or personality disorder, cannabis can push them over the edge into a mental illness. And how does a parent know their child’s unique brain chemistry?

I’ve watched as parents, remembering the good old days, let their children experiment with cannabis in an effort to modify their behavior. They believe it will calm them down, decrease threatening behavior and acting out. It might, in the short term. But there could be long-term damage.

Kids, meanwhile, may be self-medicating for depression or anxiety by smoking, vaping or ingesting cannabis in the form of gummies. What are some of the dangerous outcomes?

Amotivational syndrome has been recognized as a side effect of cannabis for about 20 years. This is the lack of motivation to do anything you need to do to live a normal life, including holding a job or doing schoolwork.

Even worse, young people could end up with depression so severe that it lands them in bed, unable to function. Delusions and suicide ideation, taking the form of statements such as “I wish I were dead,” may emerge as well.

Many of the clients I refer to residential treatment are there because of marijuana.

Unfortunately, insurance companies don’t consider cannabis a serious addiction problem, so they don’t pay for treatment without a co-occurring serious mental illness or history of hospitalization for toxicity or withdrawal.

Why is today’s pot so dangerous?

In the ’70s pot was organic. You’d buy a bag of marijuana grown on someone’s farm, which was sold to a dealer. The amount of THC — the ingredient in cannabis that produces the high — was about 3%.

Now, you can go to a dispensary and get up to 95% THC, with an average of 40 to 50%. Gummies might have 5 to 10 percent THC in each one, and it’s very easy to overdose on them because they take a while to produce an effect, and folks tend to overindulge before the effect takes hold.

In addition, street pot is frequently laced with other chemicals, such as fentanyl, to make the high stronger and better. People go to the ER thinking they have marijuana toxicity, but it turns out they have OD’d on something else.

If you have a teen, or even a tween between the ages of 10 and 12, have a conversation with them about cannabis and their developing brain — the prefrontal cortex that will someday allow them to go to college, get a job and have the life they deserve. Tell them if there’s a family history of addictive behavior or mental illness. Prepare them for the day in high school when they start going out socially and getting pressured to share a joint.

If you see your kids are getting high, take away their access to spending money, car and electronics. Make an appointment with their primary care doctor to rule out a physical illness and seek therapy if you suspect depression or anxiety.

Keep an eye on their friends, too. If they reek of pot or exhibit concerning behaviors, take it seriously. Remember, open conversation and your parenting can save your kids' lives.

• Bonnie Lane, M.S., is principal consultant with Family Support Services in Northbrook, specializing in supporting families whose loved ones suffer from severe mental illness or substance addiction. Daily Herald readers can contact her at (847) 651-1554 or bonnielane@thefamilysupportservices.com.