For decades misconceptions have persisted about cannabis (marijuana) due to poor studies and the propaganda of prohibition. Good science is eliminating many of those misconceptions.
This study set out to determine the association of alcohol use with gray matter volume and white matter integrity; and of cannabis use and gray matter volume and white matter integrity. Gray and white matter are the two main types of tissue in the brain.
The analysis was done on 853 adults (18-55 yoa) and 439 adolescents (14-18 yoa) who had participated in studies which collected data on substance use and neuroimaging data.
Alcohol use showed loss of gray matter in both adults and adolescents, and poor white matter integrity in adults. Cannabis use was not associated with gray or white matter changes in either adults or adolescents.
This is discussed in greater depth in NeuroscienceNews.com.
