It was the same study?
Evidence of meeting #25 for Health in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was study.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #25 for Health in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was study.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Ben Lobb
Thank you. You can pick it up next time.
Mr. Young, you're up for seven minutes, sir.
May 6th, 2014 / 9:30 a.m.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Thank you for being here today, everyone.
We've heard that the executive function of the brain is diminished for youth, which affects their decision-making, organizational and planning skills, and goal setting. You said, Dr. Smith, it's particularly at ages 18 to 21. Is that correct?
9:30 a.m.
Associate Professor, University of Ottawa
That's the age group that I was studying.
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
It reminds me of the movie Dude, Where's My Car? I haven't watched the whole movie; I just watched a little bit on TV one night. It's about two guys who get stoned and drunk and can't find their car in the morning. That's, I think, the premise of the entire film, but it sounds like it's based on reality.
You also said the emotional brain runs the show, not the thinking brain. Is that when someone experiences psychosis, or is it just from regular use? What happens when the emotional brain takes over? I'm thinking in relation to violence, or crime, or whatever.
9:30 a.m.
Associate Professor, University of Ottawa
The teenage brain is still developing the ability to make good decisions, and the prefrontal cortex is still myelinating. That means it's still optimizing. Even youth who aren't exposed to drugs may have trouble with decision-making because of this lack of development. What is often seen is that the limbic areas are more active than the prefrontal cortex even without the drugs.
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
9:30 a.m.
Associate Professor, University of Ottawa
Impulsive behaviour, not looking at the consequences of actions.
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
One of the myths of marijuana is that it always makes people placid. Would that be fair to say?
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Thank you.
Dr. Smith, do you think legalizing marijuana would reduce the harms and risks to Canada's youth, or increase them?
9:30 a.m.
Associate Professor, University of Ottawa
That's not my area of expertise. My opinion would be that legalizing it would increase the use.
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Thank you.
Michel Perron, would legalizing marijuana reduce the harms and risks to Canada's youth, or increase them?
9:30 a.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
Again, if we look at our two legal substances, in terms of prevalence of use alone, alcohol in particular, we would likely increase the use, and therefore, increase the harms that would relate to it.
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Thank you.
What would you suggest is the best way to reduce the health harms of marijuana, Mr. Perron?
9:30 a.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
Back to my remarks, the first point is that no one issue is going to solve it. Second, there is, as Dr. Sabet has pointed out, a massive gap between knowledge, what we know as conclusive scientific evidence that is really unquestionable, and general public opinion. I think that's both among youth and among parents. I think we have a generational impact.
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
9:30 a.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
Reduced access to marijuana? Certainly, I think better understanding and knowledge of cannabis and its effects on the person, both for the young people and for the parents, is important. Access is a different issue altogether, and how you reduce access to it is another question, I think.
9:30 a.m.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Okay.
Dr. Sabet, you said that one-sixth of 16-year-olds will become addicted to marijuana while their brain is under construction. Did you say that the brain is under construction until age 30?
9:35 a.m.
Executive Director, Smart Approaches to Marijuana
Dr. Smith would be better to say, as she looks at these brains every day. But essentially, it's generally understood that it's between ages 25 and 28—and Dr. Smith, come in here—but my understanding is that in some people, the prefrontal cortex does not fully develop until even age 40. But I think the average understanding would be 25 to 28 years for the development of the brain, yes.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Thank you.
Are you saying that marijuana use could cause permanent brain damage or deterioration?
9:35 a.m.
Executive Director, Smart Approaches to Marijuana
Well, permanent.... We still need to look at the research. What's interesting about the New Zealand study was that, even among adults who had quit using or reduced their use, that IQ reduction was still evident at 38, even though they had started in adolescence. That is definitely a worrying sign.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Could you please comment, Dr. Sabet? You have a slide here that's fascinating, which was actually news to me, on the connection between marijuana and cancer.