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UCSD Researchers Take Part in National Study

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SD-LocalNews

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap radius”]U[/dropcap]niversity of California San Diego (UCSD) appears to be playing an important role in developmental studies concerning cannabis. Recently the university was commissioned to conduct research on, and develop a cannabis sobriety test. Also recently, the university held a symposium titled “Cannabis Across the Life Course: What Do We Know and What Do We Need to Know?” where Terry Jernigan, director of the Center Human Development at UCSD, explained the role of cannabis in the recently publicized national study on child development.

The study, titled The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD), will track 10,000 children all across the nation for 10 years to monitor their “biological and behavioral development through adolescence into young adulthood.” According to Jernigan, the study will use brain imaging to determine how the brain is effected by a number of factors, from social economic status to drug use. Pertaining to cannabis, Jernigan shared that children will be studied in states where cannabis is and is not legal to study not only its physical effects but to see how varying cannabis policies affect adolescent brain development, according to KPBS.

During an April 13 symposium, UCSD researchers spoke to a crowd of 150 medical experts, researchers and civilians to address the developmental effects of cannabis. Larry Parsons, a member of the Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Behavior at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, shared that THC effects brain development before birth and can last throughout adulthood. While this was one of many observations to highlight the negative effects of cannabis on childhood development, Christina Chambers, Director of the Center for Life Course Research, part of UCSD’s Clinical and Translational Research Institute, stated that current information on cannabis and child development is outdated and very little. “The sample sizes are so small. There is a critical need for more data,” stated Chambers. Jernigan also expressed that there just isn’t enough continuous research to determine the exact effects of cannabis on the adolescent brain. “It is important to study the effects of cannabis on all phases of life, from fetal development to older populations—and its potential for treating disease,” said Chambers.

Since the children who are expected to participate in the study will start at ages nine and 10, Jernigan assumes that they will not have had much exposure to substances like cannabis. “So we can perhaps better address this question about what specifically are the effects,” stated Jernigan.

According to ABCD, it will be the largest long term study of brain development and children’s health in the U.S. It also serves as one of the largest government approved studies to highlight the effects of cannabis, giving us more solid and consistent evidence of its neurological effects. This change comes with the integration of cannabis in American culture as an alternative medicine. Hopefully, this research will help us better understand the effects of the plant, how to use it more responsibly and will highlight its medicinal capabilities, for all ages.

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