Study shows cannabis use is not related to loss of motivation

Study results show that marijuana use is not independently linked to loss of motivation in teenagers, according to a recently published study. The study by a team of researchers from Florida International University was published online last week in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

The authors of the study note that a decrease in motivation as a result of cannabis is often cited. However, previous research on the subject has largely focused on adults and has produced mixed results.

To conduct the study, the researchers recruited a group of 401 study participants who were 14 to 17 years old at the start of the study. Each topic passed a total of five semi-annual exams during the entire study period.

Researchers rated study participants’ motivation using two self-reported questionnaires, including the Apathy Evaluation Scale and the Motivation and Engagement Scale, which is made up of subscales that quantify distancing, perseverance, planning, self-efficacy, and the value of study subjects in school . Researchers also asked about participants’ alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco use at each assessment, and analyzed the data to model patterns of cannabis use and motivation over time.

The results of the two-year study show that cannabis use has increased significantly, as have the planning facets of motivation and lack of commitment. Greater cannabis use was associated with more withdrawal, less planning, and less appreciation of the school.

However, when the data was checked for variables, including the subjects’ reported alcohol and tobacco use and the effects of other factors such as age, gender, and depression, researchers found little evidence that cannabis use affects motivation.

“Our results do not support an association between cannabis use and a decline in motivation over time in a sample of adolescents at risk of an escalation in cannabis use,” the study’s authors write in their conclusion, adding: existing literature by this Longitudinal associations are examined in a large sample of adolescent cannabis users, while important and often overlooked mix-ups, including sex and depression, are controlled.

Study shows that increased cannabis use does not cause a loss of motivation

The researchers also found that the study showed no loss of motivation over time, although respondents reported a significant increase in cannabis use.

“Despite a significant increase in cannabis use in our sample, the change in cannabis use did not predict changes in motivation, suggesting that cannabis use may not lead to a decrease in motivation over time,” the study authors write.

However, the data showed that cannabis use was associated with lower perceived value in school, which worried researchers because of the potential impact on participants’ success in school and as adults.

“Future studies should continue to examine these relationships lengthways to determine whether increased cannabis use leads to a reduction in motivation and whether these reductions can be responsible for poorer educational and later life outcomes.”

Paul Armentano, the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marihuana Laws (NORML), said in a press release by the Advocacy Group on cannabis reform that the research is aimed at undermining outdated stereotypes about cannabis.

“Modern science is setting the record and revealing much of the ‘cooling madness’ of the past few decades,” said Armentano. “Unfortunately, many of these myths are still prevalent in our society and are often raised by politicians to justify the failed marijuana ban and stigma policies. It is time America put these myths aside and adopt a cannabis policy based on facts, not fears. “