cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Again Tied To Memory Problems





Marijuana Again Tied To Memory Problems
Posted by CN Staff on March 13, 2006 at 15:18:43 PT
By Amy Norton
Source: Reuters Health
New York -- People who regularly smoke marijuana may find their memories growing hazy over time, a study published Monday suggests.In a study of long-term and shorter-term marijuana users, researchers in Greece found that both groups performed more poorly on tests of memory, attention and other cognitive abilities than a comparison group who'd only occasionally used the drug.
Long-term users - who'd smoked four or more joints per week for at least 10 years - showed the greatest deficits.The findings, published in the journal Neurology, add to the conflicting body of research on the effects of marijuana on the brain. While many studies have suggested that long-time pot smoking dulls memory, attention span and mental acuity, some have found no large differences in these skills between marijuana users and non-users.One recent analysis of 15 studies found only minor effects on memory among long-time pot users, and no clear effect on attention, language, reasoning and a number of other cognitive functions.One problem is that it's difficult for studies such as the current one to establish a definite cause-and-effect relationship between marijuana and intellectual deficits, Dr. Lambros Messinis, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.Though the researchers accounted for a number of variables -- like education, use of other drugs and the presence of clinical depression -- it's tough to control for all the factors that could make heavy marijuana users different from other people, according to Messinis.Still, he and his colleagues say, their findings are in line with certain past studies linking heavy, long-term pot smoking to "subtle" deficits in intellectual abilities.The study included 40 marijuana users ages 17 to 49 who were in a drug abuse treatment program; all had used the drug frequently for at least five years, but half -- those considered long-term users -- had smoked for 10 years or more. They were compared with 24 adults the same age who had used pot no more than 20 times in their lives.Overall, both long- and shorter-term marijuana users performed more poorly on tests of memory, attention and mental-processing speed. The proportion of study participants deemed "impaired," according to the researchers, was highest in the long-term group and lowest in the comparison group.Long-time pot users showed the greatest problems on tests where they were asked to learn and remember a series of words. They were "significantly" below the published norms for these tests, according to Messinis and his colleagues.It's not yet clear whether the intellectual deficits linked to marijuana are lasting, Messinis said, but research "generally supports" the notion that these problems are reversible after longer periods of abstinence. People in his study were required to have been abstinent only for the 24 hours before taking the tests.Another unknown, according to Messinis, is whether marijuana use at a young age may affect the brain differently than use during adulthood. Knowledge in this area, he said, is still "poor."Source: Neurology, March 14, 2006. Source: Reuters (Wire)Author: Amy NortonPublished: Monday, March 13, 2006Copyright: 2006 Reuters Related Articles & Web Site:Chronic Cannabis Use http://freedomtoexhale.com/ccu.pdfSpeed of Thinking Gets Worse Over Time http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21659.shtmlMarijuana May Block Alzheimer's Diseasehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20269.shtmlSmoking Pot Doesn't Harm Brain Function http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16706.shtml 
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on March 15, 2006 at 08:10:55 PT
Whig, comment 17
You put that beautifully. One of the best things I ever learned to do, and it took awhile to get good at it, is to forget some things. Some things really are best forgotten and when I'm reminded of some of them occasionally, I'm elated to discover that I've finally learned to assign some memories to the delete folder. Having had a virtually photographic memory most of my life, and I'm not kidding, it was wonderful to discover that I really had managed to basically forget some things or put them so far behind me that they didn't come to mind easily. Like how so and so was so mean to me and how I got cheated, or how mean and stupid I was about something. The lessons didn't go in the delete folder, but the pain did. It seemed to me that God helped me to develop that ability and my will to do so...and maybe he helped me with those frequent doses of a beneficial herb that he designed, that I had consumed at one time.It seemed to me to be a real skill I had managed to develop...but maybe it came with the help from a leaf or a flower.
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Comment #20 posted by whig on March 15, 2006 at 01:30:49 PT
Hope
If they reported it in the news, it must have been true. It's so obvious Saddam Hussein must have hidden his WMDs in Syria. Or was it Iran? Hey, what about North Korea?Sorry, this has been a sleepytime better-go-to-bed moment for me.
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on March 15, 2006 at 00:10:58 PT
Remembering
Why don't they remember what was wrought of alcohol prohibition? What do you reckon caused that?Probably addiction to the prohibition dollar.
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Comment #18 posted by Hope on March 15, 2006 at 00:07:52 PT
I have trouble believing that.
"Autopises on chronic meth users have shown visible, horrendous brain damage."Remember the autopsies on the young soldiers from Vietnam? There was one where an 18 year old had the brain of a 90 something year old and the one where they touched his brain and it just collapsed like a pile of ashes? Supposedly it happened because they had smoked a lot of cannabis in Vietnam.Remember the reports about men's breasts growing as large as women's and hair on women's chests caused by cannabis use?*sigh*We can't believe people who have made a stock and trade of lying to us. At least, I don't. Those were news stories, too.
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Comment #17 posted by whig on March 14, 2006 at 22:04:34 PT
Intelligence, Understanding and Wisdom
I'm not nearly as quick as I was when I was 16. God, I was smart. So intelligent. And so dumb. I didn't really understand a thing.I'm much slower now. It's hard to juggle 25 different bits of information at the same time. I have to rely more on crutches, like Google, to find things I should remember.But I'm a lot more likely to know what I'm looking for now. I know that a lot of the things I used to believe as facts are colorable, not true. I have to think harder because I take less for granted.The older I get, the less I know, but the more I understand, and in time comes the wisdom to know how to apply it.
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Comment #16 posted by John Tyler on March 14, 2006 at 21:32:31 PT
Try an alcohol study
Why don't they do a study of people who drank alcohol everyday for ten years and see how well they perform on anything. 
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Comment #15 posted by dididadadidit on March 14, 2006 at 12:04:05 PT
Memory impact? How about IQ?
I had occasion to take an online IQ test about a year ago. The result was supposedly 15 points higher than my college entrance test in the late 50's. Some 35 years of criminal smoking activity sure appears to have softened up my brain. I don't know how I can possibly cope with the loss.Cheers 
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Comment #14 posted by Max Flowers on March 14, 2006 at 09:28:56 PT
Fraud 
The subjects could *easily* have been methamphetamine addicts with a long histories of meth use. Meth traumatizes the neuron/axon/synapse components of the serotonin system of the brain. Autopises on chronic meth users have shown visible, horrendous brain damage. Therefore, without eliminating that possibility and the possibility of brain damage and memory impairment from other drug use, this study is worse than useless---it's highly suspect.
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Comment #13 posted by 420toker on March 14, 2006 at 07:01:54 PT
this is garbage
ok this is the problemThey didn't go get 500 people and make them smoke 4 or more joints a week, they went and found a bunch of people who smoke 4 or more joints a week. What is also absent is their previos history of drug and alcohol abuse. Basicly these people are already products of their enviornment affected by everything from the law to their socioeconomic station. It suggests very little and proves nothing. To top it all off the Dr. states the whole of their cognitave differences don't amount to much real difference.
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Comment #12 posted by Jose Melendez on March 14, 2006 at 05:00:28 PT
Got proof? Have . . another . . . (hic)
I wanted to say something about this, but I forgot.Oh yeah, I remember: - Forgetting is likely healthier than fretting. - Suppression of exculpatory evidence is unconstitutional. - They refuse to report the neuroprotective, antimicrobial or anticarcinogenic properties. - What message does THAT send? - Drug war IS crime. - Those who get high from depriving us of ours ought be treated, or jailed. - Any questions?
Drug war IS crime. We have proof.
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Comment #11 posted by OverwhelmSam on March 14, 2006 at 02:23:19 PT
Okay, So It Causes Memory Loss
At least it doesn't cause liver damage. Gee, people have to smoke it constantly for ten years to develop cognitive sill problems? It's not any worse than a lot of other drugs out there. Legalize it Anyway!
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on March 13, 2006 at 21:37:12 PT
Charmed Quark. ..comment 5
Very interesting. Very good post."One thing for sure, cannabis has got to be the most studied drug (in terms of looking for negative side effects) in the history of mankind."For sure! And prohibs say it needs more testing. They are so trying to find something awful, and since they can't, they lie...and say, "We have to have more studies."Charmed Quark, you also said, "For instance, one of the anti-seizure drugs I use to take, Topomax, cuased almost immediate and long-lasting cognitive impairment. This side effect is so well known among users that it has the nickname Dopomax. I'd sure like to see a study of the long-term impairments from that drug. There are probably 100's of pharamceuticals on the market that cause much worst cognitive effects than cannabis every could, but nobody seems interested in studying them."That's so true!Everybody's posts are so good. Interesting that everyone here seems to be especially bright. The prohibitionists, in all fields, have been lying so dang long and so dang much, it would be stupid to believe a word they say.How many times do they have to cry "Wolf", before the rest of society stops believing them? And...there isn't going to be any wolf show up later, either. After five thousand years of use, it's pretty obvious to anyone with any sense, that there isn't a "wolf" in cannabis.
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Comment #9 posted by afterburner on March 13, 2006 at 20:40:45 PT
Rote Memory
Rote memory is the *lowest* form of intelligence. So, what does cannabis do for *higher* mental functioning. Pun not intended, or is it?
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Comment #8 posted by mayan on March 13, 2006 at 17:41:20 PT
The Dutch Disagree
Frequent Cannabis Use Not Associated With Cognitive Declines In Working Memory, Selective Attention: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6832
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Comment #7 posted by daksya on March 13, 2006 at 17:12:07 PT
Sample Bias
One potential problem is their sample selection: "Messinis and colleagues recruited 64 people from a drug-abuse treatment program". Depending on why these study recruits were in treatment (genuine problems vs. social or legal coercion), they may be an unrepresentative sample of regular moderate & heavy users.
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Comment #6 posted by bionic man on March 13, 2006 at 17:02:42 PT:
other drugs?
The study included 40 people from "drug abuse program". You have to wonder if perhaps their memory problems are related to other drugs such as meth, crack, etc. But those facts about other drugs including alcohol are not mentioned. Typical prohibs. Never miss a chance to demonize cannabis.
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Comment #5 posted by charmed quark on March 13, 2006 at 16:41:02 PT
memory impairment is serious
Such impairment could mean the difference between living independently until death vs. having to spend years in assisted living. Or having to retire early from a job that has high cognitive requirements. Sure, memory declines with age, but I sure don't want to accelerate it.However, these studies tend to be nonsense. For every one showing significant memory impairment there are two showing slight to undetectable changes. But guess which ones get the press?One thing for sure, cannabis has got to be the most studied drug (in terms of looking for negative side effects) in the history of mankind. No pharmaceutical drug comes anywhere near close. For instance, one of the anti-seizure drugs I use to take, Topomax, cuased almost immediate and long-lasting cognitive impairment. This side effect is so well known among users that it has the nickname Dopomax. I'd sure like to see a study of the long-term impairments from that drug. There are probably 100's of pharamceuticals on the market that cause much worst cognitive effects than cannabis every could, but nobody seems interested in studying them. Only poor cannabis.I'd like to have some science on why there should be long-term impairment from chemicals that dock with the cannabinoid receptors. Do they "burn out" over time and not recover?
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Comment #4 posted by Richard Zuckerman on March 13, 2006 at 16:23:47 PT:
WISDOM TOO OFTEN NEVER COMES...
Assuming the medical conclusion of this one study is correct, I would rather have intelligence, wisdom, rather than a perfect memory! Did the study conclude that Cannabis users do not have adequate industrial capacity? Even if memory is somewhat reduced, Cannabis brings out other qualities, beneficial.Too many people have been brainwashed by the curriculum of public schools and major media by governmental organizations such as the Office of National Drug Control Policy. How many other government lies must we be exposed to before we conclude that voting for Replicans and Democrats is doing nothing but dwindling this country into a third world country???!!! Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus! Vote for Libertarian Party or Green Party. Exercise your authority as a jury to veto a prosecution if the law is unfair. It might be somewhat of an inconvenience to you, but you must communicate with State legislators and Congress for improvements. Write down your State and Federal legislators and post them where you have access to them. Contact them! Tell them to legalize Cannabis! Tell them you want Hemp for fuel, www.hempcar.org! And if they give your requests/demands short shrift, then tell your friends and vote the buttheads out of office! Comment number 1 by Mr. Flowers has an interesting perspective!One U.S. Supreme Court Justice has written: "Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not reject it merely because it comes late."
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Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on March 13, 2006 at 16:19:24 PT
no kidding Max
The truth is that memory is going to go downhill for all us as we age anyway. It looks like Reuters has revealed the flaw that I suspected - this study was gimmicked by having MJ smokers abstain for only 24 hours.I can attest that after I came back from a trip to Amsterdam, I was still feeling the effects more than 24 hours later. That's after some seriously heavy use, but still, if you really wanted to good science, wouldn't you wait at least a week? Even minor withdrawal symptoms could cause memory problems within a 2 or 3 days after abstaining.  Imagine if you took a heavy coffee drinker and tested them for ANY mental function 24 hours after abstaining! It's like testing for drunk driving 24 hours after a drinking binge. The person is still feeling the effects, even if the alcohol is gone and it's just a hangover at that point.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 13, 2006 at 16:15:43 PT
Memory Loss
One of the good things about cannabis and memory is that people who smoke cannabis seem to be able to forgive and forget better then a person who uses say alcohol. Is that a bad thing?
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Comment #1 posted by Max Flowers on March 13, 2006 at 16:01:48 PT
You call that a problem?
Memory "problems" eh? Ooooh, scary. Hey you know what, booze puts holes in your liver. Sugar gives you diabetes, some people get it so bad they need to have appendages amputated. Smoking gives you cancer. Chewing tobacco can eaily make you get inoperable oral cancer. Hydrogenated oils, FDA-approved and frickin' EVERYWHERE in 90% of the food supply, can kill you with atherosclerosis.Sorry, dear researchers, but a little memory loss doesn't scare me, especially compared to what can happen to me if I do the government regulated, legal poisons. Got anything scarier?I didn't think so.
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