Data shows whether marijuana makes you stupid

There is a list of films that feature marijuana-addled antiheroes that audiences love. We’ve seen the dim-witted marijuana user in countless movies and sitcoms. But is it fair or true? Data sheds light on whether marijuana makes you stupid.

There has to be some truth to it, right? Well, the reality is that reputable studies are unlikely to suggest a connection between cannabis use and lowered IQ.

In fact, two studies published in 2016 show that marijuana has little long-term effects on learning and memory. Additionally, studies suggest that any cognitive damage caused by cannabis is reversible.

Even the most ardent advocate of cannabis use will come to terms with the fact that getting high plays tricks on your brain. This is nothing more than alcohol. We’ve all misplaced our car keys or struggled to find the right word after a few cocktails or a bite to eat.

According to Dr. According to Mitch Earleywine, a professor of psychology at the University of Albany, “marijuana appears to affect a certain type of intelligence, such as short-term retention of vocabulary and other information learned in school.”

So, yes, your brain is a little messed up when you consume a large dose of THC. But what about the long-term effects? The two reports, one from the UK and the other from the US, came to the same conclusion: It appears that there is no evidence that marijuana use causes a decline in intelligence in adolescents.

Despite the research, Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, believes the jury is still out. She points to studies comparing brain scans of teenagers who use marijuana with those who don’t. The scans show thinner, less dense connections between the lobes of cannabis users.

“You can expect this to decrease your ability to remember things and learn things, which is necessary for the actual development of your cognitive skills,” she said.

According to Live Science:

“Brain scanning studies in humans suggest that marijuana may be linked to anatomical brain changes, such as shrinkage of the amygdala, a brain region that processes emotions, reward and fear. For some people with genetic susceptibility, such brain changes could be enough to send someone into schizophrenia, which is more common in people who have used marijuana. However, the genes in question could cause people to smoke more marijuana and become more susceptible to schizophrenia, rather than directly driving the link between marijuana and psychosis.”

Even Volkow admits there’s little evidence that marijuana causes bad brain connections.

NIDA is supporting a study to examine the effects of marijuana on brain development. The Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study (ABCD) will follow 10,000 9- to 10-year-olds into early adulthood, using neuroimaging to map changes in the brain.

The bottom line is that there is little evidence of permanent brain damage. But you probably forget where you left your car keys.