Latin America Rising > The World's fastest aging population is in Latin America; Central America offers great lifestyles for US retirees

 

Latin America has the fastest aging population in world

By Macarena Hermosilla

   

Though Uruguay leads the trend, population aging is accelerating across Latin America. File Photo by Raúl Martínez/EPA

July 29 (UPI) -- Uruguay is experiencing one of the most significant demographic transformations in Latin America, driven by a declining birthrate and an aging population.

According to projections from the National Institute of Statistics, the country's total fertility rate dropped to 1.27 children per woman in 2023 and is expected to fall to 1.20 by the end of this year -- well below the replacement-level threshold of 2.1.

The population, which peaked at 3.51 million people in 2020, is projected to decline steadily, falling to some 3 million by 2070. By then, more than 32% of residents will be over 65, while only 11.5% will be under 15.

Though Uruguay leads the trend, population aging is accelerating across Latin America.

Related

• Argentina's sustained decline in birth rate reflects profound demographic changes

While the region is not the oldest in absolute terms -- Europe and East Asia have higher shares of older adults -- it is aging faster than anywhere else in the world.

According to the United Nations Population Division, Latin America will make the demographic shift from a young to an aging society in less than 40 years -- a transition that took Europe more than a century.

In countries such as Chile, Brazil and Argentina, more than 15% of the population is now over the age of 65, and the median age exceeds 32, reflecting a rapid demographic shift.

This shift coincides with a long-term drop in fertility, now averaging 1.8 children per woman. The decline is linked to a range of factors: improved access to education, increased female labor force participation, urbanization and evolving family values.

One particularly significant factor has been the decline in teenage pregnancies, which for years accounted for a substantial share of total births in several countries. In Latin America, fertility among women ages 15 to 19 remained high even as it declined in other age groups -- but over the past decade, it has dropped sharply.

Helena Cruz Castanheira, a demographer at the Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Center of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, said the decline happened faster than expected.

"We expected the fertility rate to stabilize around the replacement level -- 2.1 children per woman -- by 2020, but overall fertility continued to fall below that threshold, and one reason was the significant drop in births among teenagers," she said.

Uruguay again offers a clear example: between 2016 and 2018, access to free subdermal contraceptive implants accounted for one-third of the decline in teen fertility.

This trend is playing out in other countries, as well. In Colombia, for example, 2024 saw the lowest number of births ever recorded -- 445,011 -- of which only 3,159 were to teenage mothers.

Marijuana > The Astounding Effects It Is Having on Civilization - No one is talking about

Although the average age of first sexual activity has remained stable -- or even declined -- in some countries, what has changed is increased access to and use of contraceptives, partly due to public policies focused on sexual and reproductive health.

Still, Latin America and the Caribbean continue to have the second-highest rate of teenage fertility in the world, with 52 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 19 in 2022, compared with the global average of 39.

Each year, more than 1.6 million girls and teens in Latin America become mothers -- many of them victims of sexual abuse and living in poverty and vulnerable conditions. This reality limits their access to education and employment and reinforces intergenerational inequality.

Cruz emphasized that the goal of demographic policy should be to ensure women can have the number of children they want, when they choose to.

"Unplanned teenage pregnancies are associated with more difficult life paths for young mothers. That's why countries must continue investing in sexual health, family planning and education," she said.

According to a report from Austral University in Argentina, only Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico and Peru currently show a more favorable outlook, with a larger share of youth under 15 -- suggesting greater long-term productive potential.

By contrast, the population age 65 and older has grown steadily across the region, reaching or surpassing 15% in several countries. This trend is reflected in indicators such as median age, which now exceeds 30 in most nations. Uruguay, Chile, Brazil and Argentina report the highest figures.

As the population ages, there are fewer working-age people for each retiree.

Uruguay offers a clear warning: aging is happening faster than expected. Without adjustments to social, health, pension and elder care policies, the economic and social consequences could be severe.

Isn't it ironic that Latin Americans are coming to the USA to make more money, and retiring Americans are moving to Latin America because their money is worth more there?

Index: 3 Latin American nations offer nicer lifestyles for U.S. retirees

By Mar Puig

   

A man rests on Jaco beach, in San Jose, Costa Rica, in July 2024. The country attracts retirees with its biodiversity, peaceful environment and high-quality medical care. File Photo by Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA

July 29 (UPI) -- Panama, Mexico and Costa Rica have emerged as leading destinations for U.S. retirees this year, offering a more affordable, safer and more comfortable lifestyle overseas, according to the 2025 Global Retirement Index prepared by International Living magazine.

The rising global population over age 65 -- projected to reach 16% by 2050, according to Statista -- is driving a wave of retiree migration focused on mild climates, access to quality healthcare and an active lifestyle with lower financial strain.

Data from the Social Security Administration show that more than 730,000 U.S. retirees receive their benefits while living abroad, with Latin America accounting for a growing share.

Panama tops the global retirement rankings for its accessible pensioner visa, political stability and retiree perks, including 25% discounts on electricity and restaurant bills, and up to 50% off cultural activities.

The cost of living there for a couple starts at about $2,400 per month. The country also offers 18-month temporary residency through a remote work visa.

Mexico ranks fourth, driven by its low cost of living, cultural diversity and affordable healthcare. According to the report, a retiree can live comfortably on about $1,500 a month. In tourist areas such as the Riviera Maya, monthly rent averages around $500.

Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende and Chapala remain among the most popular destinations for U.S. retirees.

Costa Rica, ranked third in the index, attracts retirees with its biodiversity, peaceful environment and high-quality medical care. Residency is available with a minimum monthly income of $1,000, and housing can be found starting at $550 a month.

The Central Valley is especially popular for its mild climate and proximity to top-tier healthcare services.

Rosmery Hernández, a professor at the National University of Costa Rica, said the country "has spent decades building a quality-of-life environment based on public policy, education and civic participation, which today makes it attractive to retirees from the United States and Europe."

She also noted that Costa Rica offers a strong healthcare system, easy access to international flights and infrastructure that makes travel within the country easy.

However, Hernández warned that the growth of the international retiree market has accelerated gentrification in areas like Guanacaste, raising the cost of services and land for local residents.

"The challenge is finding a balance that allows local communities to coexist with new international residents, creating mutual benefits without triggering displacement," she said.

While European countries like Portugal, Spain and France also rank among the top international retirement destinations, Latin America offers advantages such as geographic proximity to the United States, more flexible immigration policies and a cultural environment that feels more familiar to many Americans, according to the retirement index.

All three Latin American countries have strengthened their immigration frameworks and services to attract this demographic, as more U.S. citizens view retiring abroad as both a financially viable and socially enriching option.

Why Two Easters when there is only One Christ? Both calendars are wrong! Here's the fix!

 

Two Easters, one Christ: The complex calendar politics of faith

Why Orthodox Christians and Catholics celebrate Easter on different days

By Dmitry Samoilov, journalist and literary critic

©  Gazeta.Ru / Dasha Zaitseva

It is Lent in the Christian world, but in reality, it only alters the lives of monks and Moscow restaurateurs, who rush to invent Lenten menus to profit from the public’s fear of living in sin. However, Lent inevitably leads to the most important Christian holiday: Easter.

This year, Orthodox Easter coincides with that of other denominations – a rare event, last seen in 2017. But why do they usually fall on different dates? The answer lies in history, astronomy, and religious identity.

The calculation of Easter’s date is famously complicated. For Orthodox Christians, Easter is determined by the Julian calendar. It must fall on the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox – but only if it also occurs after Jewish Passover (Pesach). This rule is based on the Bible’s account of Christ’s crucifixion during the Passover season. Christianity, like Islam, is an Abrahamic religion deeply rooted in Judaism, even if it has often distanced itself from those origins.

Christianity departed from Judaism when Christ came to earth as Jesus. Islam departed from Judaism when it was invented by Mohammed and followed Ishmail who was cast out by Abraham with the approval of God. 

Muslims believe Allah is the God of Abraham and Ishmail, while Christians believe He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).

Catholic Easter follows similar logic, but uses the Gregorian calendar. It too changes annually, but is calculated using rules introduced in the 16th century by Pope Gregory XIII. The result is that Orthodox and Catholic Easter only align once every few years.

There are four main reasons why the Russian Orthodox Church has held on to the Julian calendar:

First, it is a statement of independence. The Orthodox Church sees itself as distinct from Rome. While it may not always be stated directly, in Orthodox theological thought, Catholicism is often viewed as schismatic. Maintaining a separate calendar reinforces that divide.

Second, tradition has weight. Every day in the Orthodox calendar commemorates saints, texts, hymns, and rituals. With thousands of parishes following this system, shifting to a new calendar would cause logistical chaos.

Third, Church leaders fear that calendar reform could provoke unrest. A failed attempt to modernize the Church in the early 20th century, when the “Renovationists” tried to introduce reforms, remains a cautionary tale. The memory of that upheaval still lingers.

Read more

 Playing with Holy Fire: Moldova wages war on Christians to please its EU overlords

Fourth, the Julian calendar is seen as part of ancient Church tradition – an expression of historical continuity and spiritual identity. To abandon it would be, for many, to break from something sacred.

Still, practical contradictions remain. Consider this: the modern world celebrates January 1 as New Year’s Day, but Russian Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas twelve days later than other denominations, on January 7. It means we ring in the “new year” before the birth of Christ—an odd inversion of the Christian calendar.

Some have suggested aligning Christmas with the Gregorian calendar, as the Greek Orthodox Church has done. In that model, fixed holidays match the modern calendar, but Easter continues to be calculated using Julian rules. Complicated? Absolutely. But theology is a complicated discipline. Liturgical studies, canon law, and Church history are all well-established academic fields. Surely, a Church department could study how to transition to the Gregorian calendar without losing liturgical continuity.

About a decade ago, there was a proposal to move Christmas to January 1. The logic was simple: New Year’s Day marks the start of a new era, and the festivities already exist. Why not combine the joy of the secular calendar with the birth of Christ? Those who wished could even treat the end of December as a fast before Christmas, making the celebration more meaningful.

Now, here is where we could actually make some progress. Christmas should not be January 1st, Easter should be January 1st. 
Why? Because the resurrection of Jesus is the most important day in the history of the world. The very center of all time and Eternity. More important than the birth of Jesus as glorious as that was.

Resurrection Sunday should not only be the first day of the year, it should be the first day of the calendar, Day 1, Year zero. 
If this correction was made to the calendar, year 2000 would actually occur about 2030. 

I realize this would be enormously complicated, but it is certainly still possible. 
If Jesus returns somewhere around 2030, will we start a new calendar?

Ultimately, the Church must remain a firm pillar of spiritual life. It cannot follow every passing whim. But pillars, too, are built by human hands. And perhaps, sometimes, they can be adjusted – not out of weakness, but for the sake of clarity and relevance.

In an era when Easter rarely brings all Christians together on the same day, it may be worth asking whether the spiritual world is being served by the division over dates. Or whether it’s time to think again about what unites us.

Did Pope Gregory XIII Get the Calendar Wrong?

=============================================================================================

Another Study Links Pot Use to Increased Psychosis Development

Smoking pot daily raises psychosis risk,

study finds

Researchers analyzed data from a dozen sites across

Europe and Brazil from 2010 to 2015

The Associated Press 

Experts say the new study's findings have implications for jurisdictions legalizing marijuana

Smoking high-potency marijuana every day could increase the chances of developing psychosis by nearly five times, according to the biggest-ever study to examine the impact of pot on psychotic disorder rates.

The research adds to previous studies that have found links between marijuana and mental health problems, but still does not definitively pinpoint marijuana as the cause.

Psychotic disorders — in which people lose touch with reality — are typically triggered by factors including genetics and the environment. But experts say the new study's findings have implications for jurisdictions legalizing marijuana, warning they should consider the potential impact on their mental health services.

"If we think there's something particular about (high-potency) cannabis, then making that harder to get a hold of, could be a useful harm-reduction measure," said Suzanne Gage, of the University of Liverpool, who was not connected to the new study.

Researchers at King's College London and elsewhere analyzed data from a dozen sites across Europe and Brazil from 2010 to 2015. About 900 people who were diagnosed with a first episode of the disorder at a mental health clinic, including those with delusions and hallucinations, were compared with more than 1,200 healthy patients. After surveying the patients about their use of cannabis and other drugs, researchers found daily marijuana use was more common among patients with a first episode of psychosis compared with the healthy, control group.

Regular pot users 3X danger

Strong pot users 5X danger

Teens with heavy use of pot 8X danger

The scientists estimated that people who smoked marijuana on a daily basis were three times more likely to be diagnosed with psychosis compared with people who never used the drug. For those who used high-potency marijuana daily, the risk jumped to nearly five times. The paper was published online Tuesday by the journal Lancet. It was paid for by funders including Britain's Medical Research Council, the Sao Paulo Research Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.

"If you decide to use high-potency marijuana, you should bear in mind: Psychosis is a potential risk," said Dr. Marta Di Forti, of King's College London and the study's lead author. She said it was unknown how frequently people could smoke lower-potency marijuana without raising their likelihood of psychosis, but that less than weekly use appeared to pose no risk.

Di Forti and colleagues estimated that in Amsterdam, about half of new psychosis cases were associated with smoking high-potency pot.

Gage noted that it was possible that people with a family history of psychosis or other risk factors might be more susceptible to developing problems like psychosis or schizophrenia if they used cannabis.

"That could be the thing that tips the scale for some people," she said. "Cannabis for them could be an extra risk factor, but it definitely doesn't have to be involved. If you use cannabis, it doesn't mean you are definitely going to develop psychosis."

No age groups in study!

It just means you are playing Russian Roulette with your sanity and your future, especially if you are a teenager. This study, unfortunately, doesn't break down the risks to various age groups, but other studies show a dramatic increase in the risk of Schizophrenia developing in teens who use pot. At least one expert says there is a one in six probability of young teens developing full-blown Schizophrenia from using pot.

"If you smoke a lot of marijuana when you are young

or in your teens, your chance of having psychosis later

on in life is about eight times higher than other people,"

Dr. Bill MacEwan, assistant director of UBC's dept. of psychiatry

Just 1 or 2 Experiences with Marijuana May Alter Teen Brain

Adolescent brains are going to be more vulnerable to anything

drug or environmentally related, expert says

Thomson Reuters

New findings are considered a step toward understanding the impact of cannabis on young brains.

(Ben Nelms/Reuters)

Teens who use pot just one or two times may end up with changes to their brains, a new study finds.

There were clear differences on brain scans between teens who said they had tried cannabis a couple of times and those who completely eschewed the drug, researchers reported in the Journal of Neuroscience.

There have been hints that even small amounts of pot at a young age might impact the brain, said the study's lead author, Catherine Orr, a lecturer at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. 

"Research using animals to study the effects of cannabis on the brain have shown effects at very low levels, so we had reason to believe that brain changes might occur at even the earliest stages of cannabis use," Orr said in an email.

Still, she said, "I was surprised by the extent of the effects."

With an estimated 35 percent of U.S. teens using cannabis, the new findings are concerning, the researchers noted.

Orr and her colleagues saw widespread increases in the volume of grey matter in brain regions that are rich with cannabinoid receptors. Grey matter, which is made up of nerve cell bodies, is involved in sensory perception and muscle control.

To take a closer look at the impact of mild marijuana use in developing brains, Orr's team analyzed brain scans gathered as part of the larger IMAGEN study, which was designed to look into adolescent brain development.

The researchers analyzed images from 46 14-year-olds who said they had used marijuana once or twice, as well as images from 46 non-cannabis using teens matched "on age, sex, handedness, pubertal status, IQ, socioeconomic status, and use of alcohol and tobacco," Orr said.

Brain volume

The researchers spotted clear differences between the two groups, which they suspect are due to the low-level pot use. 

They acknowledge that the study didn't actually prove that marijuana led to the differences seen in the scans. It's possible that those who chose to use weed were different to begin with and that the marijuana hadn't played a role in brain development.

In other words, they might have been brain-damaged to start.

To try to address this question, the researchers analyzed scans from a third group of teens who had not tried marijuana before they had their brain scans at age 14. By age 16, 69 of these kids said they had used marijuana at least 10 times. But their brain scans at age 14 looked no different than brain scans of other kids who had not taken up cannabis by age 16, which meant there wasn't any inborn brain difference that would have predicted who would later become a pot user.

There may be serious implications to the brain changes noted by the researchers. "In our sample of cannabis users, the greater volumes in the affected parts of the brain were associated with reductions in psychomotor speed and perceptual reasoning and with increased levels of anxiety two years later," Orr said.

The reason for the higher volume of grey matter in cannabinoid-rich regions of the brain may be related to a normal process called "pruning" which may go awry when kids use marijuana, Orr said. As young brains develop, unnecessary or defective neurons are pruned away, she explained. When the system doesn't work correctly, those cells remain in place.

This may actually support the theory I have been pushing for several years. It's an observation I have made numerous times over several decades. That is, people who smoke pot often fail to progress in terms of maturity. This may be restricted to those who start using as teens; I don't know. But I have seen many pot users who started smoking joints when they were teens, and in their 30s and 40s, still acted like teenagers with regard to their dress, their taste in music, their language, their likes in many different areas. They just don't progress as normal.

The new findings are a step toward understanding the impact of cannabis on young brains, said Dr. Michael Lynch, a toxicologist and emergency medicine physician and director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "It's important that there was a change," Lynch said. "Adolescent brains are going to be more vulnerable to anything drug or environmentally related."

If pruning isn't working right, "the brain may not work as efficiently as it should," Lynch said. "But I don't think we can make a final determination on that from this study."

Definitely need more study. But let's all legalize it anyway. It's just kids we're talking about. Not like it's important.

Canada, and other countries and state's rush to legalize pot has turned a generation into an experiment. When the results of that experiment come in - God help us.

Pediatricians Need More Information on Medical Marijuana for Kids, Study Says

Finally, someone other than me is asking about the effects of marijuana on kids,

but there are many more questions need answering

About half of Canadian doctors surveyed have child or

adolescent patients who have used cannabis

The Canadian Press 

Workers produce medical marijuana at Canopy Growth Corporation's Tweed facility in Smiths Falls, Ontario. In a survey released by the Canadian Paediatric Society on Thursday, many pediatricians expressed concern about the lack of evidence about medical marijuana's effectiveness and its potential risks. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

About half of pediatric doctors surveyed about cannabis say they've encountered a young patient who had used marijuana for a medical reason.

The questionnaire for the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program found 419 of 835 respondents had a patient who had used either authorized or unauthorized cannabis for some sort of medical relief.

The one-time study did not detail how many cases involved unauthorized use, the nature of the condition being treated or the ages of the patients.

But principal investigator Richard Belanger said he's surprised by the number of young cannabis users and says it points to the need for more information for doctors, parents and patients.

The Quebec City pediatrician, also a professor at Laval University, notes that more than a third of respondents — or 316 doctors — said they had been asked by a parent or adolescent patient to prescribe cannabis.

Only 34 doctors said they had done so, with many expressing reservations about efficacy, impacts to developing young brains, and concerns about abuse and dependence.

'Truly worrisome': Pot legalization will hurt youth unless changes made to proposed law, journal says

The survey was conducted in the spring of 2017 as part of the surveillance program's larger look at a host of hot-button issues, including Lyme disease, Zika virus and eating disorders.

'Not only an adult issue'

Belanger said researchers were surprised by how many kids and adolescents appeared to be turning to medical marijuana: "We thought it was less than that."

"We really want to make clear that cannabis is not only an adult issue, either for recreational but [also] medical purposes," Belanger said of the findings.

"Sometimes when we look at treatment we tend to forget kids, and it should not be the case."

Because kids have no voice. That's why people like Dr Belanger need to speak up twice as loud, 'cause politicians are certainly not listening to kids.

Dr. Richard Belanger, a Quebec pediatrician and principal investigator for the survey, says the use of medical marijuana for children is 'a burning issue' for doctors. (Veronique Cote/Handout photo via Canadian Press)

He suspected younger kids received authorized use for conditions including refractory seizures, cerebral palsy and chronic pain, while adolescents were more likely to be unauthorized users and to treat other conditions "such as sleep problems or anxiety."

Belanger said the higher-than-expected usage could also be because the doctors surveyed generally treat kids with chronic and severe conditions that may require alternative treatments, and because most respondents came from urban and academic centres more likely to handle severe cases.

The survey response rate was also just 31 per cent, which "may under or over represent the knowledge and/or experiences of Canadian pediatricians," said the study released Thursday.

Still, the findings raise questions about how impending legalization of recreational marijuana could impact unauthorized medical use.

"We're a bit anxious regarding that," said Belanger, pointing to "mixed perspectives" among doctors.

"From a pediatric perspective, there's seldom reason to authorize cannabis and maybe seizure is one of them, but still, there's no clear, no big evidence regarding that."

The survey found a clear majority of respondents had no knowledge or minimal knowledge on why cannabis might be prescribed for a child or youth and what products and dosages may be authorized.

"Paradoxically, they have a fairly positive view regarding cannabis use for medical purposes for certain conditions, despite the lack of solid scientific evidence regarding its safety and efficacy," said the survey, noting that could be due to difficult cases with limited therapeutic options.

Although medical marijuana has been legal since 2001, many questions remain, said Belanger: "It's a burning issue."

"There's a large space for the [Canadian Paediatric Society] or any other association or authorities to give more information on what are the clear facts regarding the possible benefits and the likely adverse events that can be related to medical use of cannabis."

Belanger noted that the data was gathered prior to the publication of a pivotal study evaluating the use of cannabidiol (CBD) to treat epilepsy among children with Dravet syndrome. The study was in the New England Journal of Medicine in the spring of 2017.

Still, he bemoaned a dearth of material to offer guidance. While more studies are underway, he said, they mostly look at CBD and its effects on seizures and severe conditions.

See below (More Potent Pot) to see why CBD is being bred out of pot.

"There are still problematic issues of studying cannabis with kids. I won't counsel anyone from entering a study exposing someone to cannabis if they don't have severe conditions.... On the contrary, in the adult field, there are many more studies regarding cannabis either for pain related to arthritis, pain related to fibromyalgia or spasticity regarding multiple sclerosis."

In the meantime, many parents and adolescents are asking for cannabis prescriptions.

"I think that everyone right now is aware that cannabis is not a simple thing," said Belanger. "When someone starts using cannabis for a long period of time at an early age, it's probably at that time that the greater impact is likely. But at the same time, if your kids have seizures several times a day, what's the worse issue? It's kind of a tricky question for parents."

There are many other questions that need to be answered, like:

What happens to a kid who gets a steady stream of 2nd hand pot smoke?

What happens to a kid who eats a handful of marijuana edibles?

What does a one-time overdose on pot do to a small child?

How are police and social services supposed to deal with chronic pot users with small children?

What little we do know:

Medical journal calls for tighter rules on legal pot to protect young

Powerful pot strains put developing brains of young people at risk, CMAJ editorial says

CBC News 

A pot smoker has a joint at the annual 4/20 day, which promotes the use of marijuana, in Vancouver.

Cannabis shouldn't be used by young people, a medical journal editorial says. (David Horemans/CBC)

Marijuana legalization will harm the health of youth unless major changes to the proposed law are made to protect their developing brains, a medical journal editorial says.

Dr. Diane Kelsall, interim editor in chief of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says Bill C-45 fails to safeguard vulnerable youth.

"There are a number of things in the legislation that are truly worrisome," Kelsall said in an interview. "If the intent is truly a public health approach and to protect our youth this legislation is not doing it."

Canadian young people ranked first for cannabis use in North America and Europe, with one-third saying they tried it at least once by age 15, the Canadian Pediatric Society says. 

Before the federal election, physicians said the right legislation to legalize pot might curb teen toking by restricting access.

The editorial takes issue with several aspects of the bill, which:

- Sets the minimum age to buy recreational marijuana at 18. Kelsall calls that too young given evidence suggesting that the human brain doesn't mature until about age 25.

- Allows people to grow pot at home, which Kelsall said increases the likelihood of diversion to young people.

- Lacks national standards for retail distribution.

- Lacks limits on potency of strains despite increased risk of harmful effects with higher-strength cannabis.

The guinea pigs are the kids

"From my perspective, from my colleagues' perspective, this legislation is being pushed through," Kelsall said. "We're just very worried that we're conducting a national experiment and unfortunately the guinea pigs are kids."

On Monday, Health Minister Jane Philpott was asked by reporters if she was prepared to change the age. 

"Provinces and territories will have the opportunity to address the age," Philpott said. "Our bill is not entirely through the legislative process. It is possible that it could change along the way."

Making a product legal does not mean it is advisable or recommended, Philpott said. 

Marijuana as a psychosis trigger

At the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, psychiatrist Romina Mizrah uses PET scanners to study how cannabis use changes brain function in young people with an average age of 20.

In young people who regularly use cannabis, preliminary evidence points to a reduction in an enzyme that regulates the endocannabinoid system that buffers key chemistry within the brain, said Mizrahi.

"There is some understanding at this point from epidemiological studies that certainly marijuana is a trigger," said Mizrahi, director of the Focus on Youth Psychosis Prevention program. "Marijuana use predates the psychosis. Whether it causes the psychosis, that's a different question and that we don't know."

I suspect there needs to be a susceptibility toward psychosis present, but that susceptibility might reside in a very large segment of the population, and, it might remain dormant through a person's entire life without a trigger like marijuana.

It may be possible in the future to determine whether or not a person is susceptible to psychosis and should therefore avoid pot like the plague. But it isn't possible now, nevertheless, we rush in anyway.

Studies using MRI scanners also show physical and functional changes in the developing brains of regular users that are associated with damage, Kelsall said.

More potent pot

Mike Stroh, 35, of Toronto says he's part of a generation who grew up smoking current strains of marijuana, which have been genetically selected to produce a powerful high, with THC levels of about 20 per cent. That's up from around seven per cent in the 1960s and '70s.       

And the methodology of raising the THC requires the reduction of CBD. It's CBD that may be helpful to those mentioned above with epilepsy or certain other conditions. CBD may also decrease the risk of contracting schizophrenia or other psychosis. So, of course, we remove it to make the THC more powerful. How insane are we? 

If we had the research, the government could restrict the amount of THC and ensure a certain level of CBD be present. This would reduce the risk of developing psychosis. But, our extreme left government cannot wait for such research, we must have pot legalized and we must have it now.

"I was into sports," Stroh recalled. "I wanted to do stuff at school, but I wouldn't make it to the practice, I wouldn't make it to the tryouts, because I was either up all night selling drugs, trying to get them, fall asleep in a drug-induced coma, and then wake up in a mess."

Mike Stroh with his kids. Stroh is now a mental-health advocate who wants to show recovery is possible. (Mike Stroh)

Stroh also lived with depression and anxiety and said he was never able to like himself. "That's the torment that brought me to my knees." He felt robbed of being himself and the opportunity for emotional maturity, cognitive development and professional opportunities.  

"Because marijuana doesn't bring you to your knees as quickly as other drugs may … there's this illusion that because you can be high and do things, it's not bad, so to speak."

Stroh is now a mental health advocate who draws on his personal and family experiences to educate.

"We need to teach kids how to take care of themselves so when they do feel anxious and do feel depressed, scared or … frustrated with life, because yes, that's a part of being a teenager, then they learn that there's so many things they can do to help themselves as opposed to use drugs."

Pot Heads Have Abnormally Low Blood-Flow in Their Brains

Marijuana users 'have abnormally low blood flow in every part of the brain - including Alzheimer's danger zones'

Researchers studied brain scans of 1,000 US marijuana users
They found cannabis users all had low blood flow in the hippocampus
The users also had significant restricted blood flow all over the brain
Hippocampus is key for memories, and is a ground zero for Alzheimer's

By Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com

Marijuana users have abnormally low blood flow in virtually every part of the brain, new scans reveal.

Sophisticated imaging of 1,000 cannabis users' brains found all of them had widespread restrictions or build-ups of blood flow.

Many had abnormal blood levels in areas affected by Alzheimer's disease, such as the hippocampus.

The findings, published in the latest Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, are an ominous warning as the United States rapidly embraces recreational and medical marijuana legalization.

It comes just weeks after the White House's surgeon general, Dr Vivek Gupta, warned legalization is moving faster than research.

    Health dangers? Sophisticated imaging of 1,000 cannabis users' brains found 1,000 marijuana
    users had widespread restrictions or build-ups of blood flow (file image)

The researchers at Amen Clinics analyzed data from a broad database including 26,268 patients across the US between 1995 and 2015.

The patients - from California, Washington, Virginia, Georgia and New York - all had complex treatment-resistant issues, and all underwent single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) - a sophisticated imaging study that evaluates blood flow and activity patterns while undergoing concentration tests.

One thousand of the patients were marijuana users. 

Comparing those patients' brain scans with 100 healthy controls, the researchers saw a stark difference in blood flow levels. 

Every marijuana user had significantly lower blood flow in the right hippocampus compared to the controls. 

Marijuana use is thought to interfere with memory formation by inhibiting activity in this part of the brain.

Shocked by findings

Co-author Dr Elisabeth Jorandby said even she was shocked by the findings, despite dealing with marijuana patients on a routine basis. 

'As a physician who routinely sees marijuana users, what struck me was not only the global reduction in blood flow in the marijuana users brains , but that the hippocampus was the most affected region due to its role in memory and Alzheimer's disease,' she said.

'Our research has proven that marijuana users have lower cerebral blood flow than non-users. 

In other words, they're stupider, but is that because they are marijuana users, or are they marijuana users because they are stupider?

'Second, the most predictive region separating these two groups is low blood flow in the hippocampus on concentration brain SPECT imaging. 

'This work suggests that marijuana use has damaging influences in the brain – particularly regions important in memory and learning and known to be affected by Alzheimer's.'

Dr George Perry, editor in chief of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease said: 'Open use of marijuana, through legalization, will reveal the wide range of marijuana's benefits and threats to human health.

'This study indicates troubling effects on the hippocampus that may be the harbingers of brain damage.'

Dr Daniel Amen, founder of Amen Clinics, said: 'Our research demonstrates that marijuana can have significant negative effects on brain function. 

'The media has given the general impression that marijuana is a safe recreational drug, this research directly challenges that notion. 

'In another new study just released, researchers showed that marijuana use tripled the risk of psychosis. Caution is clearly in order.'

And, as mentioned before, my own observations are that pot virtually stops the maturing process in regular users, such that if you start smoking pot regularly when you are 15, when you are 35 or 45 or 55, you will still act, talk, dress, think and behave like a 15 year old. I believe it is the reason why Michael Jackson never grew beyond being a little boy.

More Scary Research into the Effects of Marijuana on Teenagers
28% of 11-15 Year Olds Using Pot in Canada - Highest Rate in the World