Here's some more "trivia" for which readers should be prepared:
Cannabis IS addictive - and smoking it harms the brain permanentlyIt's long been known people who begin smoking marijuana occasionally can soon become addicted. Now, scientists have discovered why: smoking cannabis long term disrupts certain brain circuits, leading to cravings and dependency. They found the part of the brain associated with reward lit up when people looked at pictures of cannabis or associated items like bongs. These changes mark the difference between occasional users and people who have become dependent, researchers said. ...
On what do they base these startling conclusions, you might ask? I'm glad you did. The bottom line is that long-term daily cannabis users showed greater reward anticipation when shown cues for cannabis than they did for ... [drum roll please] their preferred fruit. I kid you not.
There is no mention in the
study of the relative reward/efficacy of cannabis compared with a piece of fruit. Would anyone seek relief after a physically or mentally arduous day with say, a relaxing apple? Perhaps if they had asked non-users to imagine a relaxing massage or a hot bath and a glass of wine they might have derived useful data.
Such obvious flaws will not stop the "reefer madness" crowd touting this study as proof of "marijuana addiction" though.