Dr. Phil, Who Is Not a Medical Doctor, Says That Smoking Weed Will Lower Your IQ

Even though Dr. Phil is more known for making this girl famous and for this hilarious gif than for actually helping the people that come on his show, that doesn’t stop him from continuing to give people horrible health and life advice.

Most recently, Dr. Phil had a woman named Bree on his show, along with her 11-year-old son, JJ. Bree says that JJ is violent, likes to smoke, and acts out both at home and at school, which is a valid concern for any parent. In a preview for the episode, Dr. Phil decides to blame JJ’s behavior on his weed smoking, and he then launches into a factually incorrect tirade about the horrors of marijuana:

Let’s be real here: an 11-year-old probably shouldn’t be smoking weed. But the only correct part of Dr. Phil’s statement is that yes, your brain does continue to grow until you are in your twenties.

Smoking weed is not going to “short your brain” and it will not lower your IQ. And while marijuana use does have potential risks—especially for those who have a family history of mental illness—it’s not going to rewire your brain.

Dr. Phil also seems to conflate JJ’s weed usage with his violent behavior, which is also incorrect. On its own, smoking weed generally won’t make someone more violent. There seems to be a lot more going on in this JJ’s case, and allowing someone with as large a following as Dr. Phil has to spread inaccuracies is very dangerous.

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