Scientists claim to have found a link between hitting the bong and retarded verbal memory in older subjects. The researchers — led by Dr. Reto Auer of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland — published their work in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The findings indicate stoners, past and present, have more difficulty remembering words when they reach middle age. With marijuana use prevailing in the U.S. and more states looking to legalize medical marijuana, the study reminds us even if marijuana is legal, there is a price to pay for…, ah, what’s the word? Oh yes, indulging. Its legality notwithstanding, data from 2012 revealed that 37 percent of 12th-graders had used marijuana in the last year, 23 percent used it within the last 30 days and 6.5 percent used it daily. Then there are the baby boomers. Presidents to paupers admit using the drug regularly during the 60s and 70s and still more throughout their lifetimes.
Previous studies have long established a correlation between long-term marijuana use and cognitive impairment. Marijuana has been shown to impair one’s ability to learn and remember new information. What’s new about this study, however, is that the researchers say such associations with people ingesting lower levels of marijuana had not previously been demonstrated.
The researchers analyzed data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, which contains 25 years of marijuana exposure measurements, beginning in early adulthood. During the final year, the study measured subject’s cognitive performance using standardized tests of verbal memory, processing speed and executive function.
The researchers write that “with recent changes in legislation and the potential for increasing marijuana use in the US, continuing to warn potential users about the possible harm from exposure to marijuana seems reasonable.”
The public health challenge is to find effective ways to inform young people who use, or are considering using, marijuana about the cognitive and other risks of long-term daily use,” write Wayne Hall, PhD, of the University of Queensland in Australia, and Michael Lynskey, PhD, of Kings College London in the UK, in a linked editorial.
They add:
“Young adults may be skeptical about advice on the putative adverse health effects of marijuana, which they may see as being overstated to justify the prohibition on its use. The study does not put a percentage of decline of cognitive abilities of smokers and former smokers, however, researchers say the findings are significant, and that further investigation is warranted.
“Future studies with multiple assessments of cognition, brain imaging and other functional outcomes should further explore these associations and their potential clinical and public health implications,” said the researchers.
Presently, marijuana for medical purposes is legal in 24 states and for recreational use in three more. However, federal law forbids the use of recreational marijuana and all 50 states. Federal law enforcement agencies do not aggressively enforce such laws and more states are likely to ease penalties for smoking weed. Still, for those who constantly misplace their keys or forget why they walk from the backyard to the garage, getting bagged by the man for smoking a joint may be the least of your problems as they relate to marijuana.
