密歇根新闻广播 发育问题少年不易吸食大麻

 

As more states climb aboard the legal weed train, there are voices from the medical community urging caution, especially when it comes to teens. They warn that adolescent brains are exposed to a much more potent¹ form of cannabis than the pot of days gone by.

Dr. Staci Gruber is a clinical neuroscientist in the School of Psychiatry² at Harvard Medical School. She studies just how marijuana affects the brain, and she's been watching what's been happening in the states where marijuana was first legalized, like Colorado and Washington State.

What we find from a number of different studies is that early, frequent exposure to cannabis may result in some longer-term or some later difficulties with tasks relative to people who didn't necessarily have the same amount of exposure, or who were exposed later, said Dr. Gruber.

Her concerns about teen consumption of marijuana goes beyond just the THC potency³ of modern products. Gruber is also worried about the fact that teens today see marijuana as much less risky⁴ than they once did. The Healthy Youth Survey conducted by the state of Washington found there has been a significant decrease in the teenage risk perception of cannabis relative to alcohol and tobacco.

While adults may be able to consume marijuana products without significant long-term consequences, however, Gruber says the developing brain of a teenager is far more vulnerable. That heightened risk can be hard to convey to a teenager who sees the adults around them using marijuana for medical or recreational purposes.

How do we let kids understand that this may be a problem when their parents or grandparents may be using cannabis, and in some cases, the very same product? asked Gruber.

There's still relatively⁵ little data available on how marijuana impacts things like cognition, sleep, or quality of life. Gruber's Marijuana Investigations⁶ for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) is trying to change that. But given the unknowns, Gruber says it is safer for adolescents to hold off on using cannabis.

It's not about just say no, it's about saying just not yet, Gruber added.

1 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

2 psychiatry   

n.精神病学，精神病疗法

参考例句：

• The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
• A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。

3 potency   

n. 效力，潜能

参考例句：

• Alcohol increases the drug's potency.酒精能增加这种毒品的效力。
• Sunscreen can lose its potency if left over winter in the bathroom cabinet.如果把防晒霜在盥洗室的壁橱里放一个冬天，就有可能失效。

4 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

5 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

6 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。