October 30, 2019 | Duxbury Clipper
By Susanna Sheehan, Clipper Senior Reporter
Panel gives the facts on teenage substance abuse: Experts describe dangers of vaping and cannabis
Teenage brains are different than adults’; they are not fully formed yet, and alcohol, nicotine and marijuana can all have a big impact on how a teen’s brain develops and functions.

Last week, Duxbury FACTS, a local organization dedicated to reducing substance abuse and underage drinking, offered a presentation at the High School called “Duxbury FACTS takes on Fake News.” It included Dr. Marisa Silveri, who presented her slide show “What Were You Thinking,” about the science behind teenage brains and the effects of substances on them, and a panel discussion with Dr. Jason Tracy, an emergency room doctor at South Shore Hospital and Duxbury High School Principal Jim Donovan.

Silveri has spoken to Duxbury parents and students before, in 2012, about her studies on the affect of drugs and alcohol use on the teenage brain. She is the director of the Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on addiction and mental health at MacLean Hospital and an associate professor of psychiatry at both Harvard and Boston University Medical Schools. At MacLean’s brain imaging center, Silveri uses the non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging technology, or MRI, to understand teenage brain development. This includes studying the way the brain’s structure, function and chemistry can be altered under certain conditions, including marijuana use. She has worked with hundreds of teenagers – those who use drugs and alcohol and those who do not. Read the Full Article on DuxburyClipper.com