In response to Todd Lumley’s letter in the Shuswap Market News from April 6:  I am a neurotherapist here in Salmon Arm and have a unique perspective on the effects of regular use of marijuana. I do brain assessments to identify imbalanced brain patterns and provide neurofeedback or ‘brain training’ to shape brain waves into more healthy patterns.  Those who have recently smoked marijuana or smoke marijuana on a regular basis are easy to identify because they have noticeably higher alpha activity over the frontal area of the brain.  Repeated use of marijuana creates a brain condition called Frontal Alpha ADHD. It is characterized by excessive, repetitive and unfocused speech, poor organizational skills and a compromised ability to plan and complete tasks — in short, chronic use of pot is associated with reduced brain efficiency.  Mr. Lumley suggests that marijuana is a less toxic choice than alcohol or tobacco. I will offer  this quote by Dr. Paul Swingle, Ph.D., of  Vancouver, a pioneer and expert in brain assessment and neurofeedback:  “Despite all the hype about cannabis being a relatively harmless alternative to alcohol, chronic use damages the brain.” Joan vonNiessen

Salmon Arm Observer