Cannabis use during pregnancy and adolescence can have lasting impacts on brain development, emotional regulation, and other functions.
Adolescents, parents, teachers, and school health educators.
2 critical periodspregnancy and adolescence identified as windows when cannabis can most impact brain development
What the researchers found
Cannabinoids in cannabis act on the human body in many ways, and use during pregnancy and adolescence — critical developmental periods — can have long-lasting impacts on brain formation and emotional control systems.
Why it matters
As cannabis becomes more accessible, providing age-appropriate information about its effects on developing brains is essential for informed decision-making by young people.
The numbers in context
Not quantified; overview article designed for youth audience.
How the study worked
Educational overview article summarizing effects of cannabinoids on prenatal and adolescent brain development.
Who was studied
Not applicable (educational article targeting young people).
What this study cannot tell us
General overview without systematic methodology. Simplified for youth audience, which may omit nuance. Does not present new data.
How to read the evidence
Educational overview article; summarizes existing evidence rather than generating new findings.
When this study was published
Recent educational article for youth audiences.
The bigger picture
This accessible article fills an important gap in public health education by translating complex neuroscience about cannabis and brain development into language that young people can understand.
Replication
Educational overview based on established research.
Funding
Not specified in abstract
Conflicts of interest
Not specified in abstract
Questions still open
- What educational formats are most effective for reaching adolescents about cannabis risks?
- How can cannabis risk information be communicated without increasing curiosity?
Read the original research
CANNABIS USE AND THE DEVELOPING BRAIN: HIGHS AND LOWS.
Frontiers for young minds, 11
Citation
Hurd, Yasmin L; Ferland, Jacqueline-Marie N; Nomura, Yoko; Hulvershorn, Leslie A; Gray, Kevin M; Thurstone, Christian. (2023). CANNABIS USE AND THE DEVELOPING BRAIN: HIGHS AND LOWS.. Frontiers for young minds, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2023.898445