What if one of the most controversial anti-cannabis warnings of the last few decades turned out to be completely wrong?
For far too long, cannabis opponents relied on the same fear-mongering tactics; they spread exaggerations and false narratives about weed, claiming that it made people lazy, dumb, and forgetful. They said it destroyed motivation, caused people to drop out of school, and say goodbye to a good future because it served as the gateway to harder drugs.
They used many different myths to communicate one message: if you smoke pot long enough, it’ll fry your brain, and your mind would pay the price, eventually. They used arguments, claiming that since THC affects the brain, not only did it make you forgetful and affect attention in the short-term, but a lifetime of use could lead to cognitive vulnerability or even dementia later on in life.
However, thanks to cannabis research and legalization, we’re starting to see that these are nothing more than myths or assumptions. In fact, studies show that the opposite is true: cannabis can actually be very good for one’s cognition, because the evidence tells a very different story.
Now, one of the newest studies reveals fascinating findings about lifetime cannabis use, and what it does to the brain.
New Study
A recent study conducted by investigators at Yale University and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom analyzed cognitive performance among lifetime weed users, then compared them to non-users in various aspects. They tested for memory, problem solving, and intelligence.
The researchers obtained data from the UK Biobank as well as the Million Veteran Program, two significant nationally representative populations.
They found that the participants with a history of cannabis use displayed much better cognitive performance. They noted in their study that weed use “was not associated with an increased risk of dementia”, since they found “no supporting evidence of causal link with longitudinal cognitive decline later in life.”
“This study represents one of the largest observational investigations to date examining the relationship between cannabis use, cognitive function and dementia risk in older adults,” they said. “Our findings are broadly consistent with prior population-based longitudinal studies that have not observed accelerated age-related cognitive decline associated with cannabis use,” wrote the researchers.
It’s worth noting that while the findings of this study are significant, they are not the only ones to have produced such results. It is one among many, supporting the hypthosesit that cannabis either doesn’t change brain structure, or could even protect it.
Cannabis Use Is Protective, If Any, For The Brain
Not only does cannabis not cause dementia, but it could actually be protective for the brain.
According to recent research by investigators at Augusta University, cannabidiol (CBD) may reduce inflammation, as observed in mouse models with Alzheimer’s disease, which is a known cause of dementia.
According to the study, CBD had the potential to reduce chemical markers that represent brain inflammation. For the study, researchers analyzed how CBD affected inflammation as well as immune signaling in the central nervous system. Hemp-derived CBD was administered to mice using inhalation, and they observed that it was effective in suppressing two inflammatory pathways, while decreasing cytokines.
“Alzheimer’s work has long centered on plaques and tangles,” explained Babak Baban, co-author of the study. “But our study shows that chronic autoinflammation is also a core driver of the disease. What’s exciting is that CBD not only calms this immune overactivation but, in earlier work, we’ve shown it can also help clear plaques and tangles through a different mechanism. Together, this points to a multitarget approach with real therapeutic potential,” he said.
Another study out of the Netherlands found that participants with a history of cannabis use, even those who consumed it almost daily, revealed no significant differences in white matter when compared to individuals with no prior exposure to cannabis.
For the study, researchers used MRI’s to compare the white matter of 39 participants, who were consuming cannabis almost daily, against 28 similar controls. They found that white matter microstructure was associated with cognitive performance.
“White matter microstructure did not differ between cannabis users and controls did not covary with recent cannabis use, dependence severity, or duration of use,” they wrote.
“These findings suggest that long-term near-daily cannabis use does not necessarily affect white matter microstructure,” they concluded.
CONCLUSION
The growing body of evidence surrounding cannabis and brain health challenges one of the most persistent claims that prohibitionists have tried to spread: that cannabis use will eventually lead to cognitive decline.
Instead, there are numerous large-scale studies pointing to the opposite: cannabis use can protect the brain in more ways than one. In addition, there is no real association found between cannabis use and dementia risk. Furthermore, a growing body of research shows that cannabinoids in the plant, such as CBD, help fight inflammation as well as neurological damage that has been linked to neurodegenerative disease.
While scientists still have much to learn about therapeutic applications of weed, especially concerning the brain, the current research we have today points in a direction that not many would have predicted just a few years ago. Instead of damaging the brain like the prohibitionists argue, cannabis could actually offer benefits supporting cognitive health, even for the aging brain.
Soon, we’ll likely see more findings that cement what the research points to: cannabis use is good for the brain.
CANNABIS STRAINS TO TRY FOR DEMENTIA, READ ON...
