WHY IT MATTERS: If you are a daily cannabis user or a parent of a teenager considering cannabis, this research reinforces why age of initiation, dosing discipline, and medical guidance matter for protecting long-term brain health. CLINICAL OVERVIEW: Daily cannabis use, particularly when initiated during adolescence, carries real clinical risks including changes to brain development such as accelerated cortical thinning in the prefrontal cortex. While sensationalized media simulations often exaggerate these effects, the underlying research on adolescent neurodevelopment and heavy daily use is legitimate and something clinicians must take seriously when counseling patients.
A huge study finds a link between cannabis use in teens and psychosis later – NPR
WHY IT MATTERS: If you are a parent, caregiver, or young adult considering cannabis, this research underscores why medical guidance, age-appropriate restrictions, and honest conversations about brain development should be part of any decision about use. CLINICAL OVERVIEW: Large-scale longitudinal research continues to reinforce what clinicians in cannabis medicine have long recognized: the adolescent brain is uniquely vulnerable to cannabinoid exposure, and early use is associated with elevated risk of psychotic disorders in adulthood. This does not mean cannabis inevitably causes psychosis, but it does mean that age of onset, frequency of use, and genetic predisposition are critical variables that deserve serious clinical attention.