Smoking weed and tobacco shrinks your brain

It’s not ‘just a puff’. Whether it’s tobacco or weed, lighting up could be doing more harm than you think. It can even alter the structure of your brain. The risk of smoking is already documented. From how even a single cigarette can shorten your lifespan, to how weed worsens mental health. Now, research has found that both weed and tobacco can accelerate brain shrinkage.

How smoking affects your brain

While smoking is known as the ultimate poison for the brain, a new study published in Addiction found that cannabis use and tobacco smoking may shrink the brain. Gradual reduction in brain volume is linked to aging, and it is also a key sign of degenerative conditions, but smoking speeds up the process.

The researchers reviewed multiple studies that explored the associations between cannabis use, tobacco use, co-use, and brain volume. They found that cannabis and tobacco use were linked to smaller volumes in the amygdala.

Why is this dangerous

The amygdala is an almond-shaped structure located deep within the brain's temporal lobe. It is the core component of the limbic system. This part of the brain is responsible for processing emotions, such as anxiety and pleasure. It is also responsible for initiating the "fight-or-flight" response. Emotional memory formation plays another key role. So a reduced size will affect the person’s emotional balance. It can also lead to severe anxiety or a sense of detachment. In some cases, it may also prevent them from sensing danger, and taking reckless actions.

The researchers found that cannabis use leads to a smaller amygdala, while tobacco use was associated with volume loss across multiple areas, including the insula, pallidum, and total grey matter. They also added that the shrinkage can increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's or Alzheimer's, causing motor and cognitive symptoms. Reduction in insula volume will also interfere with hunger or pain sensations. It can affect feelings, cognitive processing, and self-awareness.



The researchers emphasized the importance of generating public awareness around the potential harms of tobacco and cannabis use. "Healthcare professionals could discuss the impact of tobacco and cannabis on the brain when talking to their patients about their use, as well as physical outcomes such as lung cancer. Interventions could also consider the implications of the co-use of cannabis and tobacco and whether supplementing cannabis with tobacco is a technique for harm reduction, or if this increases harm,” they said.

So, it’s not just a puff; smoking, both tobacco and weed, can wreak havoc in your life.