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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Does Smoking Marijuana In Teenage Years Affect Brain And Intelligence?

Hi, During my early teenage years (13-15 y.o) I smoked marijuana for about 20-25 times in a period of two years. I just want to know if that has had any effects on my brain and intelligence. I am one of the best students in my class, and I am hopefully going to study medicine next year, so it does not seem like it. I am just curious.
Mon, 15 Oct 2012
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Dentist,  's  Response
Hello and thank you for your question.
Yes and no. Yes it affects your brain and prevents you from seeing the big picture of things. Marijuana breaks your concentration on a whole spectrum of thought and makes you think about one particular thing and think of it over and over again. This gives you the perspective that you had a "revelation." But in reality if you wrote this down and read it when you were sober, it would most likely not make sense. It damages your short term memory during that time and actually reduces your ability to retain information. I would say that discontinuing the smoking would help recover cognitive abilities in a short period of time. Being a doctor myself I would tell you it would be best to discontinue the use because if caught using, selling, or possession you can damage your career and ruin your chance of becoming a doctor. If you have a felony regarding drugs it may make it impossible for you to be able to prescribe medication and have a controlled substance identification number from the DEA. 13-15 years of age is not a good time to smoke marijuana since your brain is in the process of developing. I would say, quit and you should be fine.

Dr. Ward
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Does Smoking Marijuana In Teenage Years Affect Brain And Intelligence?

Hello and thank you for your question. Yes and no. Yes it affects your brain and prevents you from seeing the big picture of things. Marijuana breaks your concentration on a whole spectrum of thought and makes you think about one particular thing and think of it over and over again. This gives you the perspective that you had a revelation. But in reality if you wrote this down and read it when you were sober, it would most likely not make sense. It damages your short term memory during that time and actually reduces your ability to retain information. I would say that discontinuing the smoking would help recover cognitive abilities in a short period of time. Being a doctor myself I would tell you it would be best to discontinue the use because if caught using, selling, or possession you can damage your career and ruin your chance of becoming a doctor. If you have a felony regarding drugs it may make it impossible for you to be able to prescribe medication and have a controlled substance identification number from the DEA. 13-15 years of age is not a good time to smoke marijuana since your brain is in the process of developing. I would say, quit and you should be fine. Dr. Ward