Studying older adults offers an opportunity to explore associations among cannabis use, brain structure, and cognitive function and to observe any potential harm or benefit from the use of cannabis (marijuana). This pilot study used structural MRI to compare brain volume and function between users and non-users of marijuana. On average, the users had 23.5 […]
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Marijuana Use Does Not Change Brain Volume
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was used to search for any effects on the hippocampus, which is a region of the brain especially involved in memory as well as motion. A group of 22 older, long-term cannabis (marijuana) users with an average lifetime of 20,100 smoking episodes were compared to 26 comparison subjects with no history […]
Marijuana Users Have Less Depression, Study Says
Living with a medical condition can easily alter ones mood, and medical marijuana (cannabis) users who consume this natural medicine may have depression associated with their symptoms, but do marijuana users in general have depression? This study evaluated 4,400 adult users via the internet by completing The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and measures […]
Medical Marijuana Does Not Inhibit Motivation
The proponents of any type of prohibition will often promote undocumented ideas to promote their own, and the same is true of those who would continue the oppression of cannabis (marijuana) prohibition. One of those assertions is that marijuana drains a users motivation, creates apathy and a general inability to progress in life. In order […]
Marijuana Users Retain Brain Function
There are many who still question both the short and long term potential effects of cannabis (marijuana) use on multiple aspects of brain function, and those questions may take decades to fully answer. However, this study attempted to determine the non-acute effects of marijuana use on associative memory investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). […]
Medical Marijuana Users Face Stigma – Science Helps
In 1996 California voters were the first to usher in the re-utilization of cannabis (marijuana) as a medicine in the United States. Although there are approximately 1 million medical marijuana cardholders in California alone, many of them are still vulnerable to stigma created by decades of propaganda. For example, this study demonstrated that facing social […]
Marijuana Use Enhances Creativity
There are many artists of all types who claim to express greater creative ability when under the influence of cannabis (marijuana). But other than self-reported anecdotal evidence, what do we have? This study compared 15 abstinent marijuana users, 15 abstinent MDMA / ecstasy users, and 15 non-drug users in a battery of objective and subjective […]
Marijuana: Responsible And Controlled Use
As marijuana (cannabis) use becomes more accepted (again) in mainstream society, many ponder how older adult (regular) users maintain harm reduction regarding health, social and legal risks in the context of “normalized” cannabis use. This study collected data from Baby Boomer (born 1946-1964) cannabis users in the San Francisco Bay Area, consisting of a recorded, […]
Marijuana Not Associated With Head Or Neck Cancer
The scientific literature can sometimes provide conflicting data on causal relationships. This study performed a systematic review with meta analysis. Ultimately 9 case-control studies in 6 articles were selected and reviewed with software. This study evaluated the chance of developing head and neck cancer for individuals who had smoked marijuana in their lifetime in models […]
Marijuana Users Can Still Ride A Bicycle
Different countries, states and cities have variability in their preferred method of transportation, and officials wonder what effect marijuana (cannabis) will have on those various means of human travel. This study from Germany evaluated for the potential effect of marijuana use on bicycle riding ability. In order to make the assessment, repetitive practical cycling tests […]