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Memory, speed of thinking get worse over time with marijuana use
Eurekalert ^ | 03/13/06 | American Academy of Neurology

Posted on 03/13/2006 6:23:52 PM PST by Moonman62

Memory, speed of thinking and other cognitive abilities get worse over time with marijuana use, according to a new study published in the March 14, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study found that frequent marijuana users performed worse than non-users on tests of cognitive abilities, including divided attention (ability to pay attention to more than one stimulus at a time) and verbal fluency (number of words generated within a time limit). Those who had used marijuana for 10 years or more had more problems with their thinking abilities than those who had used marijuana for five to 10 years. All of the marijuana users were heavy users, which was defined as smoking four or more joints per week.

"We found that the longer people used marijuana, the more deterioration they had in these cognitive abilities, especially in the ability to learn and remember new information," said study author Lambros Messinis, PhD, of the Department of Neurology of the University Hospital of Patras in Patras, Greece. "In several areas, their abilities were significant enough to be considered impaired, with more impairment in the longer-term users than the shorter-term users."

The study involved people ages 17 to 49 taking part in a drug abuse treatment program in Athens, Greece. There were 20 long-term users, 20 shorter-term users and 24 control subjects who had used marijuana at least once in their lives but not more than 20 times and not in the past two years. Those who had used any other class of drugs, such as cocaine or stimulants, during the past year or for more than three months throughout their lives were not included in the study. Before the tests were performed, all participants had to abstain from marijuana for at least 24 hours.

The marijuana users performed worse in several cognitive domains, including delayed recall, recognition and executive functions of the brain. For example, on a test measuring the ability to make decisions, long-term users had 70 percent impaired performance, compared to 55 percent impaired performance for shorter-term users and 8 percent impaired performance for non-users. In a test where participants needed to remember a list of words that had been read to them earlier, the non-users remembered an average of 12 out of 15 words, the shorter-term users remembered an average of nine words and the long-term users remembered an average of seven words.

###

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 19,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, autism and multiple sclerosis.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: adoperloser; dope; drugskilledbelushi; junkscience; marijuana; moralabsolutes; mrleroybait; pot; potheads; whytheycallitdope; wod; wodlist
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This could explain the repetitive use of slogans by the drug advocates.
1 posted on 03/13/2006 6:23:57 PM PST by Moonman62
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To: Moonman62

Yeah, as in "that's why they call it dope." Right?


2 posted on 03/13/2006 6:24:57 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Moonman62

From personal experience they are correct....

;-)


3 posted on 03/13/2006 6:25:22 PM PST by misterrob (Islam is a hate crime)
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To: Moonman62

I got news for you: It gets slower anyways.

Jeopardy has to have old people compete against old people, because old people are slow at the switch.

Then they edit out the uncomfortable delays.


4 posted on 03/13/2006 6:25:34 PM PST by Donald Meaker (You don't drive a car looking through the rear view mirror, but you do practice politics that way.)
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To: misterrob

What were you saying, dude? I was like, spacing for a second.


5 posted on 03/13/2006 6:27:02 PM PST by Burr5
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To: Moonman62

Dude, you're, like, totally harshing my mellow...


6 posted on 03/13/2006 6:27:52 PM PST by lesser_satan (You know, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, every day would be Christmas.)
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To: Moonman62
Bush lied and people, uhm.. Bush lied and people, uhm.. Ah, screw it! Pass the bong, dude!
7 posted on 03/13/2006 6:29:00 PM PST by Vasilli22 (http://www.richardfest.blogspot.com/)
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To: Moonman62

This be junk siense.

/sarcasum


8 posted on 03/13/2006 6:29:18 PM PST by TSgt (Extreme vitriol and rancorous replies served daily. - Mike W USAF)
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To: Moonman62
They will just claim it's another biased study, where the researchers get paid to publish things that everyone knows just are not true.

As more such studies come out, the conspiracy of paid-off researchers spreads, even reaching overseas researchers.

Everyone knows there are no consequences to pot use; therefore the conspiracy- why else would these lies be printed?

And paranoia is not one of the bad side effects, nope nope nope.

"Of course it does not interfere with memory. I've been a daily smoker for 15 years, and if there were something I'd forgotten, I'd remember what it was, I have an IQ of 145!"
9 posted on 03/13/2006 6:30:23 PM PST by DBrow
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To: Donald Meaker

< I got news for you: It gets slower anyways. >

I can attest to that. I've never even tried the stuff and the memory is shot. Of course, being in high school in the late 60's, it could be from all the second hand on the school bus.

I wish I could blame it on something besides old age. Gettin' old ain't for sissies.


10 posted on 03/13/2006 6:31:29 PM PST by GOP_Proud (Jack Bauer wears Dick Cheney jammies.)
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To: Billthedrill

One needs to say goodbye to pot relatively young, and just use it on odd weekends, when young. That is particularly true with the strong stuff. It really does take its toll, if one is not quite careful, at least in my experience.


11 posted on 03/13/2006 6:32:17 PM PST by Torie
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To: Burr5

I now hear from my former Vietnam buds who were smoking dope in 1971-72. Every other word was G.D. MoFo. Guess nothing changes if you smoke that old Golden Triangle wacky weed. Watched it screw up a lot of people.


12 posted on 03/13/2006 6:35:55 PM PST by elcid1970
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To: GOP_Proud

>>I've never even tried the stuff and the memory is shot.

Ditto. My memory's not bad yet but it sure ain't what it was. "Memory, speed of thinking get worse over time with marijuana use" and without it.


13 posted on 03/13/2006 6:36:10 PM PST by Graymatter
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To: Donald Meaker
It gets slower anyways.

But they are saying MJ just makes it get even slower.

14 posted on 03/13/2006 6:36:56 PM PST by Right Wing Assault ("..this administration is planning a 'Right Wing Assault' on values and ideals.." - John Kerry)
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To: Moonman62
On the other hand..
People tested in their twenty's are super smart and know almost everything..
But grow progressively dumber over the years..

Whether they are users of drugs or not..
Wonder if that fact was factored in..

15 posted on 03/13/2006 6:40:12 PM PST by hosepipe (CAUTION: This propaganda is laced with hyperbole..)
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To: DBrow

I was curious what the theme for denial was going to be. It looks like they are going to take off with the "they were too stupid to correct for age angle."


16 posted on 03/13/2006 6:43:50 PM PST by Moonman62 (Federal creed: If it moves tax it. If it keeps moving regulate it. If it stops moving subsidize it)
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To: Moonman62

Huh? What was I saying?


17 posted on 03/13/2006 6:47:45 PM PST by MarkL (When Kaylee says "No power in the `verse can stop me," it's cute. When River says it, it's scary!)
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To: Moonman62

Well, yeah, the people who were smoking for ten years are five years older than the people who were smoking for five years!

The abstract does not mention how the data was normalized, though, so that alone can't be used to reject it.

There just cannot be negative consequences, though.


18 posted on 03/13/2006 6:47:47 PM PST by DBrow
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Comment #19 Removed by Moderator

To: GOP_Proud
I've never even tried the stuff and the memory is shot.

I'm with you on that, brother.

I can remember all the lyrics to "American Pie", but I can't remember what I had for breakfast.

20 posted on 03/13/2006 6:49:15 PM PST by elkfersupper
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