Is Alcohol more damaging to the brain than Cannabis?

With cannabis legalization on the rise, an increasing number of studies are exploring the drug’s potential harms and benefits. However, a new study suggests that when it comes to brain health, alcohol is far more damaging.  on the rise, an increasing number of studies are exploring the drug’s potential harms and benefits. However, a new study suggests that when it comes to brain health, alcohol is far more damaging. 

Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder conducted a review of existing imaging data that looked at the effects of alcohol and marijuana, or cannabis, on the brain. Their findings linked alcohol consumption with long-term changes to the structure of white matter and gray matter in the brain.

The use of marijuana, however, seemed to have no significant long-term effects on brain structure.

Study leader Rachel Thayer, of the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder, and colleagues recently reported their results in the journal Addiction. It is estimated that around 22.2 million people in the United States have used marijuana in the past month, making it “the most commonly used illicit drug” in the country.

Across the U.S., however, it is increasingly becoming legalized for both medicinal and recreational purposes. As a result of this changing legislation, researchers have been trying to find out more about how marijuana may benefit health, as well as the damage that it could cause.

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Researchers have also found that cannabinoids — which are the active compounds in marijuana — could also help to prevent migraines, whilst a more recent study also linked marijuana use to an increased sex drive.

Marijuana vs. alcohol: Which is worse?

For this latest study, Thayer and colleagues sought to learn more about how marijuana use affects the brain.

“When you look at these studies going back years,” he explains, “you see that one study will report that marijuana use is related to a reduction in the volume of the hippocampus. The next study then comes around, and they say that marijuana use is related to changes in the cerebellum.” This is conflicting.

“The point is that there’s no consistency across all of these studies in terms of the actual brain structures.”

With the aim of closing the gap on this inconsistency, the researchers conducted a new analysis on existing brain imaging data. They looked at how marijuana use affects white matter and gray matter in the brain, and how its effects compare with another “drug” that we have become so accustomed to: alcohol.

Gray matter is the tissue on the brain’s surface that primarily consists of nerve cell bodies. White matter is the deeper brain tissue that contains myelinated nerve fibers, which are branches protruding from nerve cells that transmit electrical impulses to other cells and tissues.

We note that any reduction in the size of white or gray matter or a loss in their integrity can lead to impairments in brain functioning. “With alcohol, we’ve known it’s bad for the brain for decades,” notes Hutchison. “But for cannabis, we know so little.”

If you are concerned that you have a medical condition that is causing you to feel tired, arrange an appointment with your healthcare provider to discuss your worries as soon as possible.

Love and Light,
Amanda Mary Jewell and The Healing Oracle Team