What a buzzkill.
Smoking weed can certainly have an impact on your brain — and not just the potential for some serious paranoia.
Research published last week found that ER visits for cannabis use by people over the age of 65 has skyrocketed, and those seniors who need acute care for partaking are up to 72% more likely to develop dementia.
Now a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry has pinpointed another startling change to stoners’ brains.
The study revealed that people with cannabis use disorder — that is, using weed enough that it causes problems and impairs your life — have altered dopamine activity in the brain that closely resembles patterns observed in psychosis.
Using MRIs, researchers found increased dopamine-related signals in the midbrain regions among heavy cannabis users.
This area is crucial for motivation and reward processing and has been previously linked to psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions.
The more you use — the bigger the problem
The study focused on people aged 18 to 35. The heavy cannabis users had significantly higher neuromelanin-MRI signals — which measure function of dopamine, the happy hormone — in specific brain regions associated with psychosis severity.
This increase was most pronounced among people with more severe cannabis use disorder, indicating a dose-related pattern.
It’s not the first time smoking weed has been linked to a higher risk of psychosis.
For instance, a 2024 study found that frequent use of high-potency pot increased the likelihood of psychosis, independent of genetic predisposition.
“We hope this research helps inform young people about the potential risks associated with harmful cannabis use — especially those with a family history of psychosis or other factors that may increase their vulnerability,” lead author Jessica Ahrens, a PhD student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University, told PsyPost.
Losing touch with reality?
An unexpected finding was that those who did have cannabis use disorder did not report more personal issues due to their weed dependency — despite meeting all of the criteria for the condition.
“This indicates that individuals with a cannabis use disorder had lower perception of harm despite the higher measured severity,” Ahrens said.
The findings are significant in light of the widespread legalization of marijuana in New York, with regulators predicting the number of legal cannabis shops in NYC will double this year.
While it’s been good for business, critics say getting on the ganja train has led to a spate of subway crime in the city.
Despite its reputation for being the “safer” drug, recent studies have also shown smoking pot can increase your cancer risk and speed up aging.
“The biggest problem is that ever since it was made a Schedule 1 narcotic [in 1970], it has made it very difficult to do really well-devised, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies,” Dr. Ken Weinberg, chief medical officer of Cannabis Doctors of New York, previously told The Post.
“I don’t think there’s enough data.”
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