According to a Massachusetts General Hospital study that has been published in the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, adolescents and young adults who abstain from cannabis for a month have improved memory.
“It’s a good study,” remarked Gary Wenk, an Ohio State University Behavioral Neuroscience professor. ” It contributes a small amount of information.”
However Wenk did say that the study does not show the differences in the amount of marijuana consumed and memory when the user stopped. A person who smokes one joint a week could have different results from someone who smokes three a day, according to the professor.
“I have students who come to class every day high and do pretty well in their classes,” he said. “They could probably do better. But they have a lot of tolerance. Does it interfere with cognitive function of any kind? The answer has always been yes.”
In the study, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital studied participants ages 16 to 25 who said they used cannabis at least once a week.
The researchers compared weekly cognitive performance between a group that agreed to stop using marijuana for 30 days with a group that did not. The groups were randomized.
Cognitive testing found memory had improved only among those who stopped using cannabis.
