Memory, speed of thinking get worse over time with marijuana use

Eurekalert ^ | 03/13/06 | American Academy of Neurology

[Flashlight]

if they had started out ten years ago, tested everybody, then tested the same people now, you might get a valid study.
It seems to me that it's very possible that the "dumber or slower" someone is, the more likely it is they'll be a heavy user, and that's what this study detected.

[Paulus Invictus]

"Everyone knows there are no consequences to pot use" and "the researchers get paid to publish things that everyone knows just are not true."

Really? And you know that, how? Documentation? I've known many pot users whose memories are poor to bad (small sample, but they all have memory problems--can memory loss be a possible consequence?). Is it paranoid to imagine there is a big conspiracy against pot users? Just asking...

[mugs99]

Perhaps he looked on the site and then forgot the article by the time he got back.

This is just an abstract at Neurology.org. The article cites the study at the American Academy of Neurology. The study is not at the American Academy of Neurology. I want to read the study, not an abstract. If you have a link to the study...Post it.
.

[Sam the Sham]

Back in the 80's there was a superb anti-drug commercial.

A young man 20ish is smoking grass with his friend watching TV in his room. They see an anti-grass commercial.

"I'm tired of all this stuff about how marijuana messes you up. We've been smoking it for 10 years. I never got into other drugs. I didn't go out robbing people. It didn't make me do anything different. Nothing happenned. In fact, I'd say I'm the same as when I smoked my first joint."

Then we hear his mothers furious voice from downstairs.

"DID YOU EVEN LOOK FOR A JOB TODAY !!! ?"

"Uh, no, Ma"

Voiceover.... Marijuana can make nothing happen to you, too.

[MRMEAN]

From the information supplied, it is not clear that this was a well designed study--I have read the abstract and tables, the article itself requires a paid subscription. Note that all the subjects were recruited from a substance abuse center. This is a fairly small retrospective study, people who end up in a substance abuse center are likely to be different than people who don't...and are likely to have lower cognitive scores.

Other studies have not found a cognitive decline associated with cannabis use.

Another study just being published, Long-term effects of frequent cannabis use on working memory and attention: an fMRI found that:

"Results Cannabis users and controls performed equally well during the working memory task and the selective attention task. Furthermore, cannabis users did not differ from controls in terms of overall patterns of brain activity in the regions involved in these cognitive functions. "

Gerry Jager1 , Rene S. Kahn1, Wim Van Den Brink2, Jan M. Van Ree3 and Nick F. Ramsey1

[mugs99]

You have to be a subscriber to read the actual article, but the Abstract is free.

I've already read the abstract. Neurology.org cites the study at the American Academy of Neurology. The American Academy of Neurology has all studies in their entirety available without subscribing. They also have reviews of every study. This study is not there. If you have a link to this study, not an abstract, post it.
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[joesnuffy]

Percentages of persons who smoke marijuana at least once a month

[Mojave]

1. I went to the American Academy of Neurology website to read their review of this study. It's not in the March issue.

2. This is just an abstract at Neurology.org. The article cites the study at the American Academy of Neurology. The study is not at the American Academy of Neurology. I want to read the study, not an abstract.

LOL. Keep pretending the egg isn't all over your face.

[mugs99]

In oher words, this is your brain, and this is your brain on drugs. Any questions?

Yes...What's on your mind? If you'll forgive the overstatement.
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[Mojave]

Apparently dope adversely affects memory, honesty and temper.

[M-cubed]

Watched it screw up a lot of people.<<<< Yup! the war side had nothing to do with it...~sarcasm off~

[mugs99]

Apparently dope adversely affects memory, honesty and temper

LOL!
Nope...I posted to you that scientific study that clearly shows marijuana smokers are happier and healthier than non smokers.
Can't find that link I requested?
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[M-cubed]

You had American pie for breakfast? I think I had eggs - not sure though.<<<

Wait a minute!..U don't know if American Pie is made with eggs or not?....Man!..you're making me paranoid!

[newnhdad]

What was this article about again?

[M-cubed]

I peed in the bottle in Vietnam.)<<

No shit?...We had piss tubes at base camp....otherwise we pissed in the boonies....

[mugs99]

You feel like you need an aspirin

LOL!
I think you're confusing pot with alcohol.
.

[girlangler]

Rut Roh.

I think it ought to be legalized, it is safer than alcohol (legal) and cigarettes (also legal).

What was I saying?????

[RHINO369]

Everything I've ever heard about pot is that it definitely has an effect on memory, however after stopping use all the memory does come came to what it'd be earlier. At least it doesn't give you liver cancer or lung cancer.

[mugs99]

Well, of course. They can't remember enough to be worried about. Ignorance is bliss

LOL!
I've never heard anyone call Carl Sagan ignorant. He was a pothead with a pretty damn good memory!
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[WestVirginiaRebel]

Dude, like, why do I have this bag of Cheetos? Dude, like who am I? Uh, what were we talking about? Duuuuude!