NYTimes vs. Annals of Improbable Research: Young dope smokers and their brains
This week the New York Times‘s Rony Caryn Rabin published a short piece on evidence presented at a meeting in San Diego that starting to smoke marijuana heavily in one’s early teens is far worse on the brain’s development than waiting till the ripe old age of 16. The story provides an interesting and entirely plausible hypothesis, and presumably relays accurately the researchers’ favored explanation.
It does not however note that (judging by the info the Times story provides) other explanations for the data are possible. While it may show bad judgment, bad parenting, or both, pot smoking at age 13 may not warp the brain significantly more than at 16+. A few alternatives are provided in a post this week by Mark Abrahams, the editor of the seriously funny Annals of Improbable Research best known for its annual igNobel Prizes.
His post, by the way, is no joke, although it’s done with evident glee.
Grist for the Mill: Harvard/McLean Hospital Press Release ;
- Charlie Petit
