Experimenting with cannabis on a casual basis damages the brain permanently, research has found.
It is far from being a "safe" drug and no one under the age of 30 should ever use it, experts said.
People who had only used cannabis once or twice a week for a matter of months were found to have changes in the brain that govern emotion, motivation and addiction.
Researchers from Harvard Medical School in the US carried out detailed 3-D scans on the brains of students who used cannabis casually and were not addicted, comparing them with those who had never used it.
Two major sections of the brain were found to be affected. The scientists found the more cannabis the 40 subjects had used, the greater the abnormalities.
Research author, Dr Hans Breiter, professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said: "This study raises a strong challenge to the idea that casual marijuana use isn't associated with bad consequences.
Source: Rebecca Smith London, Irish Independent, 16/04/14
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