Effects of Adolescent Cannabis Use on Brain Structure and Function

The nature, severity, and persistence of effects of cannabis use on the structure and function of the developing adolescent brain is an active area of research. This chapter will review what is known about these relationships during adolescence (i.e., the time between initiation of sexual maturation and completion of higher-order cognitive development; i.e., ages 10–24). In general, the authors find that cannabis has a negative association with neurocognition beyond acute intoxication and that earlier age of onset of regular cannabis use is associated with worse neurocognitive outcomes. The discussion highlights critical relationships between cannabis and brain development, and underlines areas that are incompletely understood and should be further studied to be adequately informed for this era of rapid policy change regarding cannabis regulation.