Daily use of marijuana can disrupt brain function, study finds

IMAGING scans show chronic daily use of marijuana can have a detrimental effect on the brain.

In a study, researchers revealed chronic use of the drug caused a decrease in the number of receptors involved in a wide array of important mental and bodily functions, including concentration, movement coordination, pleasure, pain tolerance, memory and appetite.

Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is abused more than any other illegal drug in America, according to the US National Institute on Drug Abuse. When smoked or ingested, the drug’s psychoactive chemical binds to numerous cannabinoid receptors in the brain and throughout the body, which influence a range of mental states and actions. One of two known types of cannabinoid receptors, called CB1, is involved primarily in the central nervous system.