Huh? Pot is good for your...uh...brain?

For so many years I thought pot, and anything else you might enjoy, kills brain cells. WTF? I wasted so many opportunities to "give birth to new nerve cells". I feel so deprived. I guess it's never too late to learn something new. Hehehe

High times for brain growth: marijuana-like drug multiplies neurons.

In the stoner stereotype, pot smokers and dying brain cells go hand in hand. However, new research suggests the situation may be more uplifting than that. A drug that functions as concentrated marijuana does may spur neurogenesis, the process by which the brain gives birth to new nerve cells.

Previous research had suggested that neurogenesis happens only in select locations in the brain, such as the hippocampus, a region involved in learning and memory. Some studies have shown that this process is inhibited by most illicit drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. However, says Xia Zhang of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, marijuana's effect on neurogenesis has not been clear.

To be more serious about the subject... I wonder what this could mean for people with degenerative nerve disorders and brain injuries? Maybe nothin'. Maybe somethin'.

Read the rest of the article as it appeared in Science News...