1st Place Winner 

Have you ever wondered how your brain works and how different things can affect its ability to function?  This is a current topic of debate with the increasing number of areas that are allowing marijuana to be legalized for  recreational use.  According to the results of a study presented in the article “Casual Marijuana Use May Alter Brain Shape and Function in Young Adults” (2014), brain locations and functions were studied using brain imaging scans.  It was found that smoking even small amounts of marijuana had long-lasting effects on several areas in the brain that are related to motivation, attention, learning, and memory.  Therefore, the younger the person is when they smoke it, the longer its effects will last.  Also, the longer or more frequently a person smokes marijuana, the more damage will be done to their brain. 

In order to keep our brain healthy, the easy solution is not to smoke marijuana in the first place.  Just like we need to eat healthy and exercise to keep our body fit and healthy, we also have to make good choices to keep our brain fit and healthy, too.  There are many other ways to keep our brain healthy as well.  Some of these ways are to get plenty of sleep so you are not overtired.  We should also drink plenty of water in order to keep our brain hydrated.  Our brain is one of the first things to become dehydrated so drinking plenty of water is very important.  We should also stay away from other drugs or drinking alcohol.  A fun way to keep our brain healthy is to play brain games and read. 

Therefore, marijuana can hurt the undeveloped brain in many ways.  Just as it is very important to keep our body healthy, it is also very important to keep our brain healthy, too. 
​Allisyn Kellogg, 6th Grade, Allegany-Limestone Central School

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2nd Place Winner

Cannabis or marijuana affects the teenage and young adult brain by stunting growth of certain parts of the brain, and over all does only bad things. The article “Cannabis and the Adolescent brain” states, “He’s found that    exposure to [marijuana] during a specific window of adolescence delays maturation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a region involved in complex behaviors and decision making. The disruption alters how the area processes information when the animals are adults.” This was stated after a test on rats to test the effects of cannabis. This shows that marijuana can stunt the growth of maturity and have overall negative affects to the brain.

Also, the article “Marijuana May Hurt the Teenage Brain” states, “We found that people who began using marijuana as adolescents - so in their teenage years - and then continued to use marijuana for many years - they lost about eight IQ points from childhood to adulthood, whereas those who never used marijuana did not lose any IQ points.” This shows that using marijuana as a minor or even young adult can actually ruin parts of your brain and make you less intelligent! This can make you substandard for anything that requires at least some form of intelligence such as simply working a job or even passing through school.

​The teenage brain already goes through a lot of stress due to the fact that this is a colossal time for brain     development. This is the time where the most growth happens because you are turning from a child to an adult and there is still lots of evolution for your brain by the time you’re a teenager. So here are some things to keep your brain healthy in your days of adolescents. Obviously, you want to stay away from drugs and alcohol, for these substances can harm both your body and brain. Getting enough sleep is also a crucial factor in how healthy your brain is. Sleep helps deal with stress during the day because it is when your brain refills its energy, so without enough sleep things such as school can be extremely stressful which can be extremely bad for mental health. One last thing is eating healthy. Think of your brain like a car, a car only takes straight gas, and if you water it down it will ruin the car. Same with your brain, it will only run on healthy foods such as meat, vegetables, and fruits. You can’t expect your car to run on water, just like you can’t expect your brain to run on junk food. Junk food delivers none of the nutrition to your body that your brain needs to function. That is why it’s crucial for you to eat healthy, at least more often than not.
Isaac Holliday, 6th Grade, Allegany-Limestone Central School
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3rd Place Winner

Marijuana has so many negative impacts on both your physical and mental health. It can be especially harmful to the undeveloped brain by, “causing anxiety, depression, mood swings, hallucinations, and paranoid reactions” according to      Britannica. The article later states, “the user may become psychologically dependent on the effects of marijuana.” This shows that using marijuana at a young age can be the start of some serious, lifelong, damage to your brain. Marijuana doesn’t only affect the brain, but the body as well. For example, a teenager on the soccer team might not see the effects right away, but within a couple of days, they start to be super unfocused, less agile, anxious and slow which might lead them to quit the team. Their grades would drop, leading to more emotions like anger. Abusing substances like drugs and alcohol can lead to bad   addictions that can harm you and lead you down a very bad path in life.  

Your brain can do amazing things like store your favorite memories, figure out problems, tell your muscles what to do, come up with creative ideas, and so much more. There are some things you have to do though if you want to keep your brain fit and healthy. One way to exercise your brain is by exercising your body as well. Physical activity is one of the most important ways to keep your brain fit because it gets the blood flowing to your heart and blood vessels and oxygen to go    everywhere in your body that needs it.  Another way to keep the brain healthy is by getting a good amount of sleep. Romie Mushtaq, an MD, neurologist, and integrative medicine specialist said “Sleep is the most important thing you can do to reset the brain, allow it to heal, and restore mental health” You can do other quick things like crossword puzzles, reading, and much more to help keep your brain fit.  

All in all, by being smart with what you choose to do, you can help keep yourself safe and healthy. 
Melody Hayes, 6th Grade, Allegany-Limestone Central School