Harvard Study Finds That Cannabis Improves Brain Function
Research Helps Dispel Stoner Stereotype That Cannabis Use Affect Intelligence
As a cannabis user, we’re sure you’ve had every snide comment thrown your way: you’re lazy, you’re spaced out, and you can’t possibly have a single brain cell intact.
Next time someone says your bud habit makes you dumb, tell them that it actually makes you smarter – and that Harvard University backs it up.
That’s right – a study completed between researchers at Harvard University, Tufts University, and McLean Hospital found that marijuana use can improve cognitive abilities.
Titled “Splendor in the Grass? A Pilot Study Assessing the Impact of Medical Marijuana on Executive Function,” the study is one of many recent studies on the link between marijuana and the brain or body. Scientists have been working hard to figure out what the magic behind marijuana really is, and there’s still much more research to be done.
How Does It Work?
The study began with 24 participants who use medical cannabis, either for anxiety, chronic pain, depression, as a sleep aid, or a combination of some of those ailments.
They were studied over a three-month period, and 11 participants remained involved in the study for its entirety. Participants would be tasked with completing cognitive tasks after using cannabis.
One of these tasks, the Stroop Color World Test, is a psychology classic – and it’s something you can do at home. The name of a colour is shown to the participant, but that name is printed in a different colour. The test measures the participant’s ability to identify the actual colour of the word, rather than simply what is printed. For example, if the word “GREEN” is printed in blue text, the participant would indicate that they see blue.
Additionally, participants in the Harvard study would have to complete a task that tests their efficiency while connecting numbered dots.
The study compared test results before and after the period of cannabis use took place.
In Other News – Opioid Use Is Down Among Cannabis Users
After herbal therapy, patients better performed cognitive tasks quicker and with fewer mistakes. Patients also reported improvements in a number of areas, like sleep and overall health.
But one key finding stood out to researchers. The study saw participants report a decreased use of conventional medications, like opioids.
“We saw a 42% reduction in opioid use,” reported Staci Gruber, PhD, director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program. “This is significant, particularly for those of us in Massachusetts and other areas of the country where the opioid epidemic is ravaging so many. This preliminary finding certainly warrants deeper and broader investigation.”
While the study’s findings are exciting, researchers aren’t simply trying to label cannabis as a holy grail or a harmful plant.
“As a clinical researcher, I’m not interested in exploring only the good or the bad, I’m only interested in the truth,” Gruber said. “That’s what our patients and our recreational users have a right to know and a right to expect from us. People are going to use it. It’s up to us to figure out the very best and safest ways in which they can do that.”
