'Skunk' cannabis can cause 'significant' brain damage
Researchers at King's College London found there were higher levels of the psychoactive chemical THC present in the drug than 10 years ago
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Smoking super-strength cannabis can cause "significant" brain damage, research has suggested.
The new study by researchers at King's College London found the strong "skunk" variant of the plant damaged the corpus callosum - the part of the brain which carries signals between the brain’s left and right sides.
This can lead to an increased risk of mental illness and psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and slow down brain activity.
The scientists found higher levels of the chemical Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol - also known as THC - in "skunk" than had been present ten years ago.
Dr Paola Dazzan, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at KCL, who led the study said: "We found that frequent use of high potency cannabis significantly affects the structure of white matter fibres in the brain, whether you have psychosis or not.
"This reflects a sliding scale where the more cannabis you smoke and the higher the potency, the worse the damage will be."
Using imaging technology, the researchers examined the corpus callosum of 56 patients who had reported the first symptoms of psychosis at South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust.
They also examined 43 other healthy brains from volunteers.
Both groups were in their late twenties. Half of the healthy patients admitted smoking cannabis daily compared to 70 per cent of the people with psychosis.
Dr Tiago Reis Marques, a senior research fellow at KCL, said: "The white matter damage was significantly greater among heavy users of high potency cannabis than in occasional or low potency users."
The researchers said the findings showed an “urgent need” to educate the public about the dangers of repeated high-potency cannabis use.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments