By Admin 
Smoking kills: Nowadays, drug use like ganja (weed) and tobacco have become quite common among Gen-Z and Millennials. These have been so normalized in the society that they are now becoming a part of the culture. In this, it becomes very important to know what effect these neuroactive drugs have on our brain and what problems arise from using them for a long time. Recently, a shocking truth has come out in the research published by Addiction, in which serious problems like shrinkage of the brain have been observed due to smoking, which is an alarm bell not only for today’s youth but for every generation.
Marijuana and tobacco use patterns
Consumption of ganja is increasing day by day. According to the data of 2022, about 23 crore people were consuming it annually, which was 4.4 percent of the total population of the world.
Tobacco use is much greater than this. According to a 2020 report, about 30 percent of the world’s population consumes it, and it causes about 8 million deaths every year. People belonging to poor class are more affected by its excessive consumption.
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What were the revelations in the research?
In this study, by looking at methods like (Cross sectional, Longitudinal, MR), it was found that research regarding the effect of marijuana and cigarettes on the brain is still limited. The data was not balanced in many studies. For example, for ganja, there were more samples of men, whereas for tobacco, there were more samples of women. Still, based on the amount of data available, some worrying findings have emerged:
- In some cases, marijuana was found to reduce the size of a part of the brain (the amygdala), but such an effect was not seen at every age.
- The size of many parts of the brain appeared smaller in tobacco users, especially gray matter.
- Tobacco can increase inflammation and damage, while the CBD in hemp may provide some protection.
- There is very little research on taking both together and no clear results have been found.
Research Conclusion
This is the first study in which the effects of marijuana and tobacco have been linked to brain size. It found that tobacco use led to declines in parts of the brain associated with memory and emotion, while the evidence for marijuana was not as clear.
The results for tobacco were more reliable, but there may be other reasons as well. This research shows that there is a need for more research on the use of both and awareness about their disadvantages is necessary.
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