I don't think kids should use drugs because their brains aren't fully developed. The only evidence I've found concerning negative effects of using THC is in regard to teenagers, especially young teenagers.
I have mentioned that I joke about a new dementia known as THC dementia, but that would be hard to prove. The most common cause of dementia, especially AD, is old age. Once we make it to 85, our chances of getting AD escalate. I think it would be hard to prove that THC caused dementia, unless we are talking about the guy mentioned in one study, who smoked 5 joints a day. In a case like that, sure there are risks. Most users only use a small amount in the evening or on the weekends. There is even a drug for AD that has THC in it. I mentioned that I only had one patient that used that drug and it didn't seem to help. We don't have any good treatments for any type of dementia at this point and some people who don't have a single risk factor, still end up with dementia. My mother is an example of this. She never smoked, drank or used any drugs. She wasn't over weight, exercised daily, never had high BP etc. But once she made it past 85, she began having symptoms of AD.
Having said all that, many if not most people slow down at least a little as they age. In recent years, I've had trouble remembering names although I can still tell you the price of just about anything I buy at the grocery store. Weird right? I have friends my age who have never used THC, and who don't drink, who have worse memories than mine. I take several Rx. drugs that can have a negative impact on my cognition. One is a potentially life saving drug, so I take that risk. Without my narcotic pain reliever, I'd be miserable and unable to do my daily aerobic routine or clean my house. We all do things or take things that have some risks. For all we know, spending a lot of time online, might be harmful to our cognitive health. It can speed up the development of cataracts. It might be a risk factor for other things as well, but I enjoy it enough to take those risks.
Since none of us are going to get out of here alive, I don't see why using THC or even ETOH in moderation is a bad thing. People who are obese put a much larger strain on the health care system. Obesity, which well over a third of Americans suffer from, is a huge risk factor for many serious diseases, but I don't judge those folks negatively any more than I judge drug users. We have yet to figure out why some people have bad eating habits. Imo, it's cruel to judge people who are obese. Maybe it's as simple as the fact that we have way too much food available these days, and people tend to be less active. Medical science hasn't figured it out, and neither have I. I don't like it when people are judgmental. We are all victims or benefactors of our genetic and environmental influences. But, I digress.
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if I remember right, he was in rehab and his body was not use to not having the drugs in it. In other words he died trying to get clean.