 | Research: Study: cannabis does not cause brain damage |
 NORML News Winter 2003
Smoking marijuana affects perception, but does not cause brain damage, according to a new study by researchers from the University of California.
The research team, led by professor of psychiatry and longtime marijuana researcher Dr. Igor Grant, analysed data from 15 previously published studies examining the impact of long-term recreational marijuana use on the neurocognitive ability of adults.
The team found that marijuana has only marginal long-term effect on learning and memory, as opposed to alcohol and other drugs which Dr. Grant says can cause permanent brain damage. No effect was seen on other functions, including reaction time, attention, language, reasoning ability, and perceptual and motor skills.
The problems observed in learning and memory suggest that long-term marijuana use results in selective memory deficiencies, but that the impact is to a very small degree.
"The findings were kind of a surprise. One might have expected to see more impairment of higher mental function," Dr. Grant told Reuters.
The implications of these findings on policy could be profound as many states are considering measures to make marijuana legal for medicinal uses. "If we barely find this tiny effect in long-term heavy users of cannabis, then we are unlikely to see deleterious side effects in individuals who receive cannabis for a short time in a medical setting," says Dr. Grant.
California, in addition to nine other states, currently allows the use of marijuana for such purposes.
The study will be published in the July issue of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.
- Drug Policy Alliance www.drugpolicy.org
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