Buy cannabis London users respond to cannabis-related cues in ways that differ from nonusers, and scientists have employed a variety of research methodologies to study cannabis cue-reactivity. Using behavioral techniques, cannabis users have been shown to afford greater attentional bias toward cannabis cues and increased craving for the substance is also observed after these cues are presented. Electrophysiology research suggests that cannabis users process cannabis cues differently than nonusers and that these differences can be observed very early after stimulus presentations [ie, 200 milliseconds (ms) and onward]. Finally, functional magnetic resonance imaging research has shown that neural regions involved in reward processing become activated for cannabis users when they see cannabis-related cues. Findings obtained with these methodologies appear to support one another and may provide clinicians with a means of identifying those who are at a high risk for prolonged and/or severe cannabis abuse.

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States — but the term “illicit” may not apply much longer. Twenty-three states have legalized Cannabis sativa for medical use since 1996. Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Washington, D.C., now allow recreational use of the drug for people over 21. Acceptance of marijuana is growing (ahem) like a weed.

Those laws are not without controversy. Among the critics’ concerns is the worry that, despite age limits, legalization might make marijuana more accessible to young people. And adolescents’ developing brains may be particularly vulnerable to lasting damage from the drug.

“There are a lot of open questions” about the long-term effects of marijuana, says Susan Weiss, PhD, director of the division of extramural research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “But there’s a growing literature, and it’s all pointing in the same direction: Starting young and using frequently may disrupt brain development.”