Study: Older Cannabis Users Have Larger Brains, Better Cognition

[misja111]

From the article:

> However, another brain region saw lower volumes – suggesting the impact cannabis has on the brain is complex and nuanced, requiring further investigation.

[bildung]

Further down:

> there was a single brain region where we saw that higher cannabis use was actually associated with lower brain volume – the posterior cingulate, which is part of the limbic system and is implicated in processes like memory, learning, and emotion. That said, some research suggests smaller posterior cingulate volume is actually associated with better working memory, so it’s a little unclear what this means.

[prmoustache]

What is the point to have better cognition if you can't remember anything?

Anecodtal evidence I know but all the long term daily cannabis user I know seem to have memory issues.

[embedding-shape]

> know seem to have memory issues

Long-term memory issues or short-term? I'm also a daily cannabis user, for longer part of my life than I haven't, and I definitely have worse short-term memory issues, which goes away quickly when I take ~2 weeks breaks, and quickly gets worse again as I resume my habit. But never had issues with my long-term memory.

[yurishimo]

Is it possible that there could be two separate things going on here? Anecdotally, I can confirm that my memory when actively using it not better. If you tell me something when I'm zoned out, unless I set a reminder or something in my calendar, fat chance I'll remember the next day. However, I am more of a "occasional weekend" user and then only in the evening after my work and family obligations are taken care of for the day; very similar to how many people consume a whisky or other hard liquor in moderation.

[littlecranky67]

Question is if their memories just decide to remember different things they deem more important.

[m0llusk]

did the science > know some guys

[emsign]

> if you can't remember anything?

You didn't read the article but instead rely on your bias alone.

Life long moderate cannabis use improves memory function. That's the main takeaway from the research.

[guelo]

n=1 but I've picked up a daily chess hobby over the past couple of years and I noticed a big negative correlation between my chess rating and my weed use to the point that I've stopped using weed after a 20 year habit. I'm talking 100-200 elo drop that would last several days.

[emsign]

I'm pretty sure memory function is bad WHILE being baked but might improve long term when not under the influence. Maybe a rebound effect that makes the brain compensate for the CB1 receptor flooding.

[Simulacra]

Cannabis is a difficult thing I think for people to talk about. There are people who think it's great, there are people who don't care, and there are people think it's awful. Each will latch onto news like this and use it for what they want. I think it's great, I'm not a regular user, and really don't see it as any better or worse than any other drug, from alcohol, to food, and beyond, that people are using. Most things are fine in moderation. I don't think we need to twist ourselves over whether it's going to make us smarter, dumber, or whatever, unless we can divorce it from our personal opinions on the substance. That has been IMHO the hardest part

[Daviey]

Buying big clothes causes you to be overweight.

[gregoryyy]

I see the drugs are bad crowd are out in force. I'm sure they'll treat any negative stories about drug users or the effects of drugs with just as much scepticism, prejudice, and criticism as they demonstrate here. How wonderful it must be to be powered by objective reason and free from confirmation bias.

[palata]

If you read the article, I believe it is more of a "we are studying it and there is a lot to do" than "drugs are good".

I think a very important part is:

> For example, I’m interested in the effects of THC versus CBD. We don't have any of that information in the UK Biobank. Most people in this study were using cannabis quite a while ago, and cannabis at that time looked very different from what’s available today. That context really matters. It’s a complex picture.

[936966931646863]

Of course junkies would jump on this paper, while conveniently ignoring meta-analyses.

"Longitudinal and twin studies report larger declines in IQ among cannabis users than their non-using peers but it is unclear whether these findings can be attributed to cannabis use or to genetic, mental health and environmental factors."

[whazor]

Drinking coffee gives positive health effects.

Drinking too much coffee and getting over-caffeinated has bad effects.

[iLoveOncall]

How can a study like this be reliably conducted in the UK where it's illegal?

> In the UK Biobank, people were asked to estimate how many times they’d used cannabis over their lifetime, choosing from a set of ranges. We ended up grouping people into no use, moderate use, and high use, based on the number of times they'd used cannabis. And of course that's an imperfect way to group people, but it did allow us to approximate dose-dependent effects.

Ah ok, so completely BS as expected.

[ndsipa_pomu]

It's "illegal", but certain places have a semi-permanent funk hanging in the air. It's almost as if it's decriminalised, but I'd expect police to grudgingly act if you're overly blatant when smoking it in the street.

It really should be legalised so that we can earn a bit of tax from its sale and reduce the amount of cash that criminals make from it (not so much the seller to the public, but all the criminal organisations that grow and smuggle it).

[vga42]

If only it was legal, I'd happily replace my alcohol use with cannabis, and I don't think I'm alone in my age group. Not a big surprise that that yields improved brain health.

[emsign]

You don't have to replace alcohol with anything. If its self medication you should ask yourself or an expert how to lower stress with behavior or life style change.

Apart from that a better medication would be Ketamine which is also a NMDA receptor antagonist like alcohol but not as destructive to every cell in the body. Except your bladder.

[D-Machine]

I don't find the effects of the two substances to be at all comparable, except perhaps that both make it somewhat easier to enjoy low-quality and/or mediocre foods and entertainment. Otherwise, the effects on ability to e.g. think quickly, socialize, be motivated, and enjoy things that require e.g. fast attention switching and working memory are just totally different.

Obviously the effects of different substances for different individuals can vary profoundly, and alcohol for me is far superior in almost every way imaginable.

Which sucks, because the long-term and next-day side effects of cannabis seem so much less bad.

[Cthulhu_]

*if it does, this is just one study. That said, because it's not legal in many places, any health effects are understudied (not unlike hallicunogens). There's plenty of movements that push for more study though.

Anyway, it's legal where I live, I avoided it for a long time because of reasons but it tends to give similar relaxing / depresant effects to alcohol, minus the downsides.

I'm confident Big Alcohol is pushing hard against legalizing and developing cannabis. As is the government, because alcohol is heavily taxed and therefore a big source of income.

[scotty79]

Imagine you could replace with just existing.

That said, when I walked through the main street of my city after dark, I thought replacing all the drunks with stoned would have been a major improvement.

[brador]

Forgot to account for survivor bias.

Without accounting for that this is just bad science. It adds too many variables to make meaningful conclusions outside of feel good nonsense.

[polotics]

This appears to be a perfect case of correlation vs. causation.

Off the top of my head I can think of many socio-economic confounding variables, and also survivorship-bias.

[throwuxiytayq]

I actually kinda like the interpretation that big brained, cognitively superior individuals are more likely to become cannabis users.

[DonHopkins]

So Devo was high!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pegs3LFf6t8

[ashe_mag]

I have a hard time believing this

[bratwurst3000]

to conclude the article. We still donw know how the brain works.

[msalihb]

users have larger brains likely to be addicted to cannabis

[comrade1234]

Cerebral edema?

[throwa356262]

Unfortunately, most of it is already occupied with conspiracy theories.

[treetalker]

You know, like the ones involving a cabal of child-trafficking, pedophilic elites whose bad acts have something to do with pizza.