- What are the negative effects of cannabis use in adolescence?
- Is there a level of cannabis consumption that is considered safe?
- At what point is cannabis use considered to be risky?
- Why has cannabis use become so widespread among young people?
- Does consuming alcohol lead to consuming more cannabis?
- Are there protective and preventative factors against cannabis use that depend on the family?
- If we suspect our son or daughter is smoking marijuana, how can we address the issue at home and what advice can we give them?
- What signs might indicate that our son or daughter has a problem with cannabis?
- Where can I get urine tests to find out if there has been cannabis use?
- Cannabis can be found in different products; are these safer than smoking?
- What can we do to prevent cannabis use in schools?
- What are the risks of cannabis use for mental health, both for occasional and continuous use?
- What is the relationship between smoking marijuana and the onset of psychosis?
- Are there any brief interventions we can do with 15-year-old adolescents transitioning from pediatrics to primary care medicine, to detect substance use and provide an initial approach?
- What materials and techniques can I use to address this topic as a primary care professional?
- How do you explain to a teenager with ADHD that they may be more prone to substance abuse than other people without ADHD?
- Is an ADHD diagnosis associated with early onset of substance use?
Is there a level of cannabis consumption that is considered safe?
We cannot say that there is a safe way to consume cannabis.
Cannabis use often begins in adolescence, a crucial stage because the brain is still developing and actively growing until around age 25. Therefore, cannabis use will cause alterations and interference in normal brain function and impact its proper neurophysiological maturation.
When cannabis is consumed, the so-called endocannabinoid system is activated. This is a system within the brain that performs functions such as learning, pain, emotions, perception, motor activity, and more. When cannabis is consumed, this endogenous system is activated externally and artificially, thus altering many of its functions and producing what Dr. Gonzalo Herradón has called a "mental impoverishment."