New research published by a group of scholars from the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital has deduced that cannabis does not speed up cognitive decline among older males.
Despite claims made by other researchers that the plant can cause schizophrenia and other mental health issues, this study has found that marijuana users are actually less likely to experience mental deterioration in their later years.
“Men with a history of cannabis use had less cognitive decline from early adulthood to midlife compared to men without a history of cannabis use,” the study authors specified in the journal Brain and Behavior on Nov. 7.
They examined data on 5,162 Danish men to draw their conclusion.
The investigators say the new findings align with previous rodent studies showing that cannabinoids are beneficial for cognitive function and memory.
A study printed in the American Medical Association journal JAMA this September had similar findings. Authors affiliated with MIT and Harvard Medical School found that sustained usage of medical marijuana did not result in any cognitive performance changes.
Cannabis has proved itself to be useful for treating mental health ailments like PTSD, depression and anxiety. Other studies have suggested that the plant promotes enhanced creativity, improved sleep and other benefits linked to mental well-being.
Read more: FDA gives long awaited green light to veterans cannabis trial for PTSD
Read more: Washington D.C. pot consumption dwarfed by Vermont only, U.S. study finds
But I thought reefer made you go skitzo?
On the other end of the spectrum, a Danish-American study completed last year concluded that habitual pot consumers are more likely to end up with schizophrenia as they age. Young men in particular are more likely to end up with the mental health disorder than females, they ascertained.
“One-fifth of cases of schizophrenia among young males might be prevented by averting cannabis use disorder,” the Cambridge University Press authors determined in their journal entry.
A couple years earlier, an investigation published in the Nature journal Translational Psychiatry found that those with a family history of the disease would be better off not indulging in joints, edibles or the like.
“Individuals genetically predisposed to schizophrenia may be especially vulnerable to psychotic experiences as a result of using cannabis,” the Canadian and British scholars wrote.
The vast amount of varying cannabis research can be quite confusing. One minute you hear about its life-altering health benefits and the next you’re told that it can make you lose your mind. This is particularly bewildering when both viewpoints come from credible sources.
Bias in the selection and interpretation of data is one factor. A limited understanding of the endocannabinoid system in the brain is another.
Also, frequency of use, quality and potency of the product being consumed (which may contain harmful pesticides, etc.), sample sizes, and demographics. Subjects that are already in a poor mental condition may not be the best to assess.
The debate rages on among international pot scholars. Smokers may prefer to listen to the positive studies on the plant rather than decrease their burning rate.
rowan@mugglehead.com
