|
|
| Heavy Marijuana Use Lowers IQ, Only Temporarily |
|
Posted by FoM on April 01, 2002 at 19:40:19 PT By The Canadian Press Source: Canadian Press 
Heavy marijuana use does seem to drive down the IQ, by an average of four points, researchers from Carleton University report in Tuesday's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The good news? The decline appears to right itself if the dope smoker butts out. "A negative effect was not observed among subjects who had previously been heavy users but were no longer using the substance," the researchers wrote. "We conclude that marijuana does not have a long-term negative impact on global intelligence. "The issue of whether marijuana use has an impact on IQ is a contentious one. "It's been very controversial," said lead author Peter Fried of Carleton's psychology department. "There have been about 50 studies that have looked at the issue of if there's a residual effect and it's pretty much 50-50." Resolving the issue has been tough, he said, because of the difficulty of coming up with before and after pictures of each subject's IQ. About half the studies compared subjects' IQs while under the influence to their IQ after several days of enforced abstinence. But is a few days enough time to ensure the drug has cleared the system and all its neurological effects have worn off? Fried and his colleagues had a neat answer to the problem. Since 1978, they have been following a group of children whose mothers -- some marijuana users, some not -- enrolled in the Ottawa Prenatal Prospective Study. These children are now aged 17 to 20. To study the effect of marijuana on IQ, they studied a subset of 70 young adults, comparing current IQ scores to those on file from the subjects' pre-teen days. "We had the unique opportunity, because of our long-term study, to have IQ measures on these kids before they ever knew the word marijuana," Fried said from Ottawa. Subjects were asked whether they used the drug and if they did whether their use was light or heavy. Urine samples were analysed to ensure the subjects were being honest about their marijuana use. Nine of the subjects were light current users and another nine were former marijuana users who had smoked regularly in the past but hadn't used the drug for at least three months. Fifteen were heavy current users and 37 were non-users who had never used the drug on a regular basis. Current heavy users showed a decline in IQ of 4.1 points, which is in the range of the decrease seen among children whose mothers drank three drinks of alcohol a day while pregnant or who used cocaine during their pregnancy. But the decrease was not seen among former heavy users. "This lack of a negative impact among the former heavy users is striking as they smoked, on average, an estimated 5,793 joints over 3.2 years (mean of 37 joints per week); in contrast, the current heavy users had smoked, on average, an estimated 2,386 joints over 3.1 years (mean of 14 joints per week)," the article said. "Certainly in a low-risk sample -- that's another thing to emphasize -- which these young adults are, it does look like the deficit in IQ, if the people stay clean for three months or so is recoverable," Fried added. While the results are positive news for recreational marijuana users, he cautioned the findings are preliminary. His team is still studying the subjects to see if there is any impact on attention, memory or other mental functions. As well, it's not clear the findings can be generalized across the full spectrum of marijuana users. These subjects are middle class with above-average intelligence, kids who don't regularly use other drugs and who are well nourished. The drug's long-term impact might not be the same on someone with a riskier lifestyle, Fried said. "In the real world out there of course the heavy users probably are poly-drug users, etc. And they may be at a greater risk and their IQ may not recover." Furthermore, Fried said it would be a leap to conclude that because IQ recovers in young adults who have used marijuana for a few years, 40- and 50-year olds who've been smoking dope for decades can count on the same recovery. Note: It seems Hollywood isn't wrong when it portrays stoners as, well, dumb. Complete Title: Heavy Marijuana Use Lowers IQ, but Only Temporarily, Study Finds On the Net: The Canadian Medical Association Journal: http://www.cma.ca/cmaj Source: Canadian Press (Canada Wire) Related Articles & Web Site: Ethan Russo M.D. - Chronic Cannabis Use True Effects of Marijuana are Still Unknown Research With Pot Smokers Shows Uh, Oh Yeah Long-Term Pot Use Takes Toll on Brain Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
 |
|
Comment #22 posted by Jose Melendez on April 03, 2002 at 12:08:36 PT:
|
| I am reading a 99 cent secondhand book I got at Goodwill last night, by Lee Iacocca. He tells several important stories from his life, which prove to me that that he understands what it is like to be discriminated against to the point the other side is willing to rig the votes, and makes it clear that he knows from first hand experience that headline writers can make or break a story based on the title.
All this was covered by page sixteen... He also points out that his family was Democrat during tough timmes, and Republican when there was plenty, and makes clear the point that it is easy to do so if you have plenty, but this comes at a cost to society. I especially like how he describes his fathers admonishments against credit and contrasts that with his own experiences resurrecting Chrysler. (With the help of Democrats - who Iacocca points out is for the common man and believe an honest man should be able to earn an honest living) It is somewhat disheartening to see that light and former marijuana use led to slightly higher IQ's, yet the title chosen was still; Heavy Marijuana use lowers... whatever. It bothered me also that Al Gore and BillClinton were not allowed to do their jobs unless they acted like Republicans... Drug war is still fraud. [ Post Comment ] |
|
Comment #21 posted by Dan B on April 03, 2002 at 11:13:46 PT:
|
| . . . not light use and moderate use. Sorry for the mixup. Dan B [ Post Comment ] |
|
Comment #20 posted by Dan B on April 03, 2002 at 11:11:55 PT:
|
| In fact, only heavy cannabis use was linked with decreases in IQ scores.; light and moderate use was linked with greater increases to IQ scores than no use at all!!!!!!!!! In fact, the increases in IQ due to light use were larger than the decreases due to heavy use. Here's a link to the press release on this story: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-04/cmaj-mio032802.php Too bad the Canadian Press didn't see fit to report on the entire findings. Dan B [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #19 posted by dddd on April 03, 2002 at 01:19:45 PT |
| ...I like the idea Firedoggy...;"It would be interesting to see how being high would affect people on an untimed IQ test."........................I started thinking what problems could arise in an "untimed" test....If it was going to be a fair and realistic test,,then it would have to begin with measured amounts of "being high"...and that would mean that everyone would have to get high on the same weed....and then,,it would become even more complex when the IQ testing supervisors start debating the measurement of dosage in proportion to weight,age,and gender...(keep in mind that embicles and idiots have a tough time finding jobs in the IQ testers union...nope,,the people who were giving the test would be a bunch of 'smarter than thou',proffessional career genius turkey misfits,,and they would be arguing about obscure,,yet relevant items such as;..how to calibrate the dosage when they factor in variables...there would be arguments and debates like;.."It's no fair!,,that old Hippie guy that goes by the name, Freedom Gada da Vida has been stoned so much that he's almost immune to the shit,,but other people like Elizabeth Goldberg-McGruff has never been stoned.!!..She tried to use the wrong end of the bong and sucked all the water out it while she held the lighter underneath it!"........and then the smarter people who finished their tests ,and handed them in would start to question the accuracy of the untimed test when they found out that some people were working on their tests till the following morning,,,checking and re-checking all their answers till noon! .. afraid to hand them in,,imagining what their Mom and Dad will say if they have a low score..............and,,you would have to watch out for a phony ondcp-nalepka cult zombie imposter implants,who would purposly attempt to be convincingly impaired by handing in unfinished tests with scribbled pot leafs and peace symbols..test papers grafitti'd with slogans like 'Meth rools!",,,"weed tokers are geenyusuz",,,,"terrurists will starve if we quit getting drugs.".................. ...nope,I'm afraid an untimed test would have as many problems as the "honor system",for Texas death row electric chair appointments,,,,or the "Cyber-Hendrix",,and "Compu-Clapton" rock star synthesizers for Kaypro computers that are running Windows 83.........dddd [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #18 posted by bruce42 on April 02, 2002 at 22:03:33 PT |
| an interesting proposition... it would be very interesting to know how cannabis use affects various aspects of the testing process. i wonder if an ACT type test would be a good model? It has seperate scores for various aspects of the test.. it would be cool to see how cannabis use might affect english and math scores. I remember taking the ACT's... I got a 34 in the english part and like a 27 in the math part... of course i did the only logical thing and became... an engineer! lol! for all you computer geeks like me... http://www.lanageddon.com/tech/tech6.shtml [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #17 posted by firedog on April 02, 2002 at 14:37:44 PT |
| I've never taken an IQ test while stoned, so I don't know from personal experience, but I'm guessing that being high while testing would have two effects: 1) Often, IQ test questions measure one's ability to perceive patterns. I think this ability would be increased by cannabis, due to the way that it helps in looking at problems from new perspectives. This factor could raise a person's score. 2) Being high often leads one down many sidetracks on the way to solving a problem. This could increase the time taken to solve problems, and since time is a factor in these tests, it could reduce one's overall score. It would be interesting to see how being high would affect people on an untimed IQ test. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #16 posted by goneposthole on April 02, 2002 at 11:10:03 PT |
| I made an appointment to have my gray matter examined so I can get a prescription for medical marijuana. Those rich Republicans must be too smart. I am going to follow their lead, as poor and dumb as I am. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #15 posted by The GCW on April 02, 2002 at 11:04:27 PT |
| This looks like an updated article with a more favorable slant. SMOKING POT NO RISK TO IQ, STUDY SAYS http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n637/a07.html?397 Pubdate: Tue, 02 Apr 2002 Source: Globe and Mail (Canada) [ Post Comment ] |
|
Comment #14 posted by freddybigbee on April 02, 2002 at 10:44:21 PT:
|
| I've often thought that cannabis was somewhat of a tradeoff; lots of physical benefits for slightly less-focused mental status. Not really a loss of intelligence, just a shift in focus from a problem-solving, engineering type mentality towards a philosophical, big-picture orientation. What a relief to find that those heavy tokers only lost 4 points on the IQ test. Perhaps cannabis-inspired awareness of infinity results in the worse IQ scores, rather than any organic brain syndrome. It's probably not conducive to solving puzzles and the like when you are actively aware that there are infinite worlds within worlds both within and without your body. Consider our sun as the nucleus of an atom in a bigger world, and every atom in our world as a solar system constituted of it's own sun and planets, ad infinitim, and you get the picture. When you put those contemplations aside, thank goodness you can still focus on the world-of-men with approximately the same efficiency as before. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #13 posted by qqqq on April 02, 2002 at 07:34:11 PT |
| It is in the eye of the beholder.Some people might think that only a smart person could succeed in politics or business,but then you think about Dan Quayle,and that seems to disprove the politics theory.Then,if you believe these Enron guys had no idea that they were purposely ripping off large amounts of money,it would prove that really stupid and naive people can make millions. The Enron thing is a classic.A harbinger of what's to become common.When I read about the Supreme Court ruling that upheld evicting people in public housing that were unaware of drug use by relatives,or acquaintances , it reminded me of the Enron thing,and the comparison between the old person who said they didnt know about the drug use of others,and should not be evicted,and the Enron guys,who claim to be innocent!They had no idea that there was any hoarding of wealth going on.They were shocked to find out that the employees retirement accounts were empty!They felt real bad that their accounting firm cheated.And then there was the trauma of that high level Enron executive commiting suicide!What a shock! I dont think it would be smart to suspect foul play.It would be stupid to lock up any really rich people. Even a stupid person can easily see how smart it is for the hundreds of politicians and prosecuters who had anything to do with Enron,to recuse themselves from the case.You dont need to be that smart to know that when the Attorney General decides that it would be unfair for him to be involved with prosecuting the Texan Enron bandito cowboys,and it turns out that Enron has greased the palms of everyone from the big dubya,to Joe Lieberman. It would probably not take alot of smartness to see that you cant buy an IQ with money,but some people might think smartness can be measured by wealth. I think that it might be stupid of me to stop rambling without including the most important thing of all,,,and that is the fact that God doesnt care if you are smart or stupid,,or rich or poor...I think God cares about your heart. ...{ I try to avoid too much talk about God here because this is not the place to wander too far into religion. ..Atheist pot smokers and 'druggies',or government snoops should not have to wade through sermons}...... anyway ,,,it makes no difference how smart or rich one is,,everyone who is alive must DIE...there is no way out.The super genius billionaire will experience the same death as the dirt poor idiot....yup,,it's DEATH!...the big daddy of everyones life...The mother of all experiences!..the one thing that no one can avoid..BUT!.... this death is only physical...The first time you see a dead person you knew or loved,,up close,,your Mom,,or your Son,,your baby,, a soldier..You are forced to decide if dead people are just meat,,or meat that had a spirit?,,or perhaps,a spirit that once occupied the meat??..... ..oh well,,at least I'm still smart enough to realize that it was stupid of me to say so much..I have made it obvious that my IQ is lousy,and I better quit .... [ Post Comment ] |
|
Comment #12 posted by Dan B on April 02, 2002 at 06:13:30 PT:
|
| Remove four points from my IQ, and I'm still (at least) two standard deviations above the mean--so what's the problem? For most people here on C-News, if you remove four points from their IQ scores, they will still have IQs well above the normal range (likely in the genius range)--so what's the problem? Even if a person has an average IQ, a 4-point reduction will still put them well within normal range. In fact, a 4-point deficit is not very significant at all. But that's not the point, is it? The real point is that the guv wants an excuse for its reign of terror, and any study showing "harmful" effects will suffice. Still, this study does not really show that cannabis is harmful at all in the long term. And I would wager that many of the current heavy users were tested while they were high, which would account for the change in scores in the short term. Evidence for this possibility lies in the fact that past heavy users showed no difference in scores. One last thing: does anything in this article indicate that the IQ testing was voluntary? If not, and if the current heavy users were not stoned-while-testing, perhaps they were simply annoyed at the intrusion and distracted by their desire to get home and light up again. Dan B [ Post Comment ] |
|
Comment #11 posted by Ethan Russo MD on April 02, 2002 at 04:48:24 PT:
|
| The article is available as a PDF: http://www.cma.ca/cmaj/vol-166/issue-7/pdf/pg887.pdf [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #10 posted by qqqq on April 02, 2002 at 02:38:56 PT |
| ...."... I ate hash cakes the other day and they messed my head up pretty bad.".... ....keep in mind,that just because your head is messed up pretty bad,,it does not mean that your IQs will feel threatened and try jumping out your ears.....a stoned genius is not stupid,,but merely enjoyably impaired,,by choice.............................You know,,it might be,,..The smarter a person is,the more they enjoy getting stoned because it allows them to take a break from the nagging they must endure from their brilliant intellects...Stupid people have less need to get stoned because they can remain happy in their own simpleton world,,,,,,this is what many pro drug philosophers have suggested ,,,but I tend to find this whole theory somewhat questionable because they may have been stoned when they thought of it,and then it would be hard to discern if they were just trying to justify getting stoned,,or seriously annoyed by their robust intellects!...or maybe they were stupid people who were trying to take over the world by making smart people look ridiculous.......It makes ya wonder if smart people are kinda vulnerable to being faked out by stupid people??... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #9 posted by Craiggoth on April 02, 2002 at 01:56:31 PT |
| This is good to know! I ate hash cakes the other day and they messed my head up pretty bad. I couldn't think straight for a day, I thought I had turned completely dumb, and that scared me as I am a thinker. Thank God it's only temporary. Be wise...legalise. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by dddd on April 02, 2002 at 00:17:15 PT |
| ..it about time the supreme court rules that people with high IQs are not eligible for food stamps,or any federal aid!..Smart people have no excuse for being poor,,and we should watch out for them,,because they are smart,and they might be able to fool stupid people into giving them money and benifits....and here's another thing... ...should we have a minimum smartness level,or IQ for those who hold public office???, are smart people too dangerous and crafty,,with the potential to be master evil-doers?,,,maybe simpletons would be more safer to be in charge because we could bust them when they tried to cheat and be dishonest and fake out the sheeple?,or,on the other hand,,if we had all these stupid people in power,,they might take over,,and hire smart people to tell them how to control the masses?....dddd [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #7 posted by dddd on April 01, 2002 at 23:56:00 PT |
| ..."This lack of a negative impact among the former heavy users is striking as they smoked, on average, an estimated 5,793
joints over 3.2 years (mean of 37 joints per week); in contrast, the current heavy users had smoked, on average, an
estimated 2,386 joints over 3.1 years (mean of 14 joints per week)," the article said. "....
"I would gladly give up...
... a mere four points on my I.Q. if the antis would leave me alone with my stash.....In fact, giving up many more points
than four would make me fit into the DARE-ville metnality here a lot better:)"
[ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by FoM on April 01, 2002 at 22:12:32 PT |
| That was good. It made me laugh. Aren't Vice President Cheney and Mick Jaggar about the same age? Which one can still jump and dance and act like a youngin'? When the flower children are dying of old age, the anti's will be screamin' "SEE! WE TOLD YOU SO!" "THAT DEMON WEED'LL KILL 'YA!!" [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by bruce42 on April 01, 2002 at 21:52:17 PT |
| 4 points seems fairly paltry. I'm sure simply daily stress factors... poor diet, lack of sleep, etc... could degrade IQ performance just as much. At any rate, in the past week or so the best arguments the anti's have for cannabis prohibition is a 4 IQ point drop and the possibility that you might not be able to remember something after decades of extreme cannabis usage. I'm still wating for the waves of cancer patients and crazy people.. maybe we need to wait another 4 decades or so... hmmmm... on better thought, I'd better shut up... when the flower children are dying of old age, the anti's will be screamin' "SEE! WE TOLD YOU SO!" "THAT DEMON WEED'LL KILL 'YA!!" [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by E_Johnson on April 01, 2002 at 21:21:20 PT |
| I believe it has been shown that the deprived sensory conditions and harsh emotional stresses in prison can lower a person's IQ by as much as 20 points in the first year alone. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on April 01, 2002 at 21:19:11 PT |
| Geez I think this is another ewxample of how potheaads are the n*****s of the postmodern politically correct era. Remember all those books that were coming out in the 1980s claiming that black people had lower IQs than whites? These are the same kinds of shenenigans. Recycled for a new sociopolitical cause. The so-called IQ test (which ever one they used, which the article conventiently does not mention) is not a scientific instrument for measuring cognitive performance, it's never been a scientific instrument for measuring cognitive performance. And the only time it is ever dragged out in public to make some kind of point is when there is some decidedly political agenda at hand. In the eighties this unscientific test was used to attack black people and now guess whose turn it is. It's not PC to attack black people any more, not even on the right wing. [ Post Comment ] |
|
Comment #2 posted by el_toonces on April 01, 2002 at 20:28:52 PT:
|
| ... a mere four points on my I.Q. if the antis would leave me alone with my stash.....In fact, giving up many more points than four would make me fit into the DARE-ville metnality here a lot better:) [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on April 01, 2002 at 20:22:10 PT |
| When Congress repealed Prohibition there were no studies bearing facts and conclusions on how alcohol influenced intelligence ad nauseum. Common sense ruled back then. Now, common sense is dead. Nonsense rules now. Whenever there is something for or against, there is nothing good about it. "I'm for more cigarette smokers."- tobacco industry "I'm for more alcohol drinkers."- liquor industry "I'm for more medications"- pharmaceutical industry We're all against marijuana because it threatens our tobacco, liquor, and pharmaceutical vested interests. So there. [ Post Comment ] |
| Post Comment |  |
 |  |