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.
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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.
High when they took the test?
"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."
The study, apparently, did not include a control group of individuals who had never used. I would be curious to see how they would compare with the individuals who had used, but not more than 20 times over the last 2 years.
One has to wonder; could they not find even twenty people in Greece who'd never been stoned?
The conclusion? Can it actually make some more productive and happy than they might otherwise be?
One can dispute the findings by the study group, but it is a drug. Last year one co-worker confided in me that he was once a heavy user but quit when he started getting paranoid. I won't lift a finger to stop some adult from using the stuff, just don't tell me that prolonged use of any drug has no negative side effects.
It's sarcasm. I think there are consequences good and bad for everything we do, and pot is no exception. I was poking fun at people who never admit even mildly bad consequences for pot, and who vehemently reject even published peer reviewed papers that suggest any level of harm from pot smoking.
We were joking, check the context.
"Relax man, it's only an ambulance. Here, light this up"
I can look back on those youthful moments and realize how much of my future I was really just pissing away. I was always in a fog, no short term memory and no motivation.
Frankly if someone wants to be a drunk or a druggie then that should be their choice but you are correct in saying that there is cost to the behavior.
No kidding. And here I thought Ricky Williams was just naturally dippy...
Wha?
"This could explain the repetitive use of slogans by the drug advocates."
What explaind the repetitive use of violence by the drug warriors?
That dude looks extremely dangerous. Better call SWAT, the DEA and Homerland Security. He needs a beatdown.
uuhhh....dude........what'd I jus' read?
Yes, he was the one that predicted "nuclear winter" from the oil fires set during the first Gulf War. I always wondered how a once bright guy had a mind turned to mush. Now we know.
Lotsa Blue staters there. Does pot use explain, perhaps, the asisinity of the brain-dead in those RAT-infested states? The Left Coast looks especially bad for high percentge of users. One wonders...
MrLeRoy, lied to us..............
Pot does seem to sustain failed political ideologies. Go to any gathering of Anarchists, Libertarians, Leftists, Vandals, or radical feminists, and there will be a big green cloud surrounding them.
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