Cannabis Use Positively Associated With Regional Brain Volume

🧠 While this study reports positive associations between cannabis use and regional brain volume, clinicians should interpret these findings cautiously given the significant methodological complexities inherent in neuroimaging research on substance use. Cross-sectional designs cannot establish causality, and numerous confounders—including socioeconomic status, comorbid psychiatric conditions, alcohol and other drug use, and genetic predisposition—may explain observed associations or create spurious correlations. The lack of clarity on cannabis potency, frequency, duration, and age of initiation limits the applicability of such findings to individual patients, and neuroimaging changes do not necessarily translate to functional or clinical benefit. Given the established risks of cannabis use in adolescents, pregnant individuals, and those with psychotic disorders, clinicians should maintain a nuanced stance that neither dismisses potential harms nor uncritically accepts preliminary neurobiological associations as evidence of net safety. In clinical practice, providers should