Yesterday voters in Ohio rejected a Ballot Measure, on marijuana, in the state   
   elections . The following may offer some insight into their choice.   
      
   Investors and governments praise the economic benefits to be realized from the   
   commercialization of marijuana; however, increased corporate profits and tax   
   revenue don't change the fact that neuroscience has shown THC, the active   
   ingredient in marijuana,    
   has the potential to produce changes in the structure, composition and   
   functioning of the human brain, especially while it is growing. The average   
   human brain continues to grow into the late twenties.    
      
   Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in cannabis, is   
   a neurotoxin. THC acts on the endocannabinoid system, which is present in the   
   fetal brain and plays a critical role in normal brain development and   
   function. This neurotoxin    
   can disrupt the development of neural pathways. It affects the growth,   
   differentiation and final positioning of neurons as well as connectivity among   
   neurons. When connectivity is interfered with there are changes in higher   
   order thinking and memory.     
   Cannabis use can lead to amotivational syndrome which impedes learning.   
      
   MRI scans of marijuana users' brains, have focused on the amygdala and nucleus   
   accumbens. They analyzed three measures -- volume, shape and density of gray   
   matter -- to gain a comprehensive view of how each region was affected. It was   
   found that the    
   density of gray matter in the amygdala and nucleus accumbens was significantly   
   increased in pot smokers compared with non-users, indicating abnormal growth   
   of neurons in those locations of the brain. As a result, both of these brain   
   regions became    
   abnormally shaped. The nucleus accumbens also was larger in pot smokers.   
      
   Elimination from education and middle to upper level employment opportunities,   
   can occur because of one's or their mother's use of marijuana.   
      
   A simple Google search turns many articles and studies on the neurological   
   effects of the THC found in marijuana. The information above was found in two   
   articles. One was published by the Journal of Neuroscience and the other by   
   the American Academy of    
   Pediatrics.   
      
   JL 04-11-15   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)