You’ve probably heard all the criticisms of marijuana – it can be addictive, smoking it is just as bad for you as smoking tobacco, it might be a gateway drug, it’s associated with a risk of anxiety and depression, etc. You are likely also aware that it can have negative effects on your brain, but did you know that it can damage your memory?
Scientists funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse studied images of the brains of people with cannabis use disorder, asking them to complete tasks that tested a variety of skills like cognitive flexibility (the ability to switch between thinking about two different things and to think about multiple concepts at the same time)., attention, and inhibitory control (the ability to control automatic or impulsive responses). By looking at the connectivity of different areas of the brain, they were able to determine that short-term memory and working memory suffer as a result of long-term cannabis abuse.
There are three different types of memory: long-term, short-term, and working. Long-term memory is as it sounds, all the knowledge and recollection of events from your past. This can even include things like knowing what the different colors of a stoplight mean or how to take a shower. Short-term memory has a capacity and durational limit. It allows you to store information briefly; for example, if you’re looking at a reference while typing something, that sentence that you hold in your head before you have to look at the words again is controlled by short-term memory. Working memory is similar to short-term, but it has to do with both the storage and processing of information. Consider walking into a building for the first time. Your short-term memory stores each hallway you turn down and elevator you take. If you need to backtrack and find your way back out, it’s your working memory that allows you to use that stored information and process it so that you can find your way.
Researchers from the University of Lausanne studied data on the marijuana habits of around 3,400 people over a period of 25 years. At the end of the study, the participants took a variety of tests designed to assess their cognitive abilities — memory, focus, ability to make decisions, etc. They found that people who smoked marijuana daily for a long time had poorer memories in middle age than those who smoked less or didn’t smoke at all. The longer one smoked, the worse their memories.
Long-term memory is also affected by cannabis, but evidence suggests that the severity of the impairment has to do with what age a person started using and how much they used. When a person starts using as a teenager, they can lose IQ points that are not recoverable even after they stop.
If you or a loved one need help with quitting drugs or alcohol, consider Asana Recovery. We offer medical detox, along with both residential and outpatient programs, and you’ll be supervised by a highly trained staff of medical professionals, counselors, and therapists. Call us any time at (949) 438-4504 to get started.
