Studies show that the mental functions of people who have smoked a lot of marijuana tend to be diminished. The THC in cannabis disrupts nerve cells in the brain, affecting memory.30. Cannabis is one of the few drugs that causes abnormal cell division, which leads to severe hereditary defects. A pregnant woman who regularly smokes marijuana or hashish may give birth prematurely to an undersized, underweight baby.
Autism rates soar, now affects 1 in 68 children. Autism rates climbed nearly 30% between 2008 and 2010 and have more than doubled since the turn of the century, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition is now believed to affect one of every 68 8-year-olds â up from one in 88 just two years earlier.
Autism rates by state. Nationally about six students in 1,000 are classified as autistic, but the rates vary widely by state. According to data reported by the U.S. Department of Education, the diagnosis is 10 times as prevalent in Minnesota as in Iowa. The map of autism rates for children ages 6-17 shows they are highest in the Northeast and on the West Coast and lowest among the Southern and Plains states.