Effects on the Brain

The age-old adage “cannabis makes you stupid” has been around for decades. Is it true? Does cannabis cause a drop in IQ points? Here’s what science says.

By now, cannabis consumers are used to the age-old, tired stereotypes and myths. Thanks to the internet, solid, well-documented, and researched information has been able to be spread far and wide. The bad part about this is that the exact same thing is true for bad information. At HashDash, we are doing our part to fight back against propaganda from the war on drugs, backed with facts about this complex plant.

Myth: Cannabis Lowers Your IQ

In recent years, the lower IQ myth has persisted because cannabis legalization has been a widely debated topic. People fighting to restrict legal access to cannabis, or cannabis prohibitionists, tend to cite the same study to try to prove cannabis lowers your IQ. The most commonly cited study that cannabis causes a drop in IQ points is one from a journal called the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

The study was conducted in 2012 in New Zealand by researchers from Duke University. The thrust of the study claims that teenagers who consume cannabis could lose up to 8 IQ points as adults and experience a reduction in their cognitive performance. The Duke study has been criticized, questioned, and contradicted by other researchers.

In a later issue of the journal, another researcher published an article strongly pushing back against the popular study, saying, “although it would be too strong to say that the results have been discredited, the methodology is flawed and the causal inference drawn from the results premature. The data collected from the identical twins fails to support the implication that marijuana exposure in adolescence causes neurocognitive decline.”

The IQ Myth Persists

Even though it was all but debunked and called out in the very journal in which it was originally published, the IQ myth is still cited often. In 2020, then-President Trump was secretly recorded referring to cannabis consumers as “losing IQ points.” This plays into the stereotype that persists: cannabis consumers are supposedly stupid, lazy layabouts. HashDash is dedicated to breaking through these myths using data-driven, scientific evidence that dispels the flimsiness of such bad information.

But What About the Children?

Another myth that permeates mainstream culture that is anti-cannabis is that cannabism makes kids stupid. This myth was debunked in a study that was the first to be conducted on adolescents and young adults. The participants in the study had their cognitive abilities tested during and 72 hours after consuming cannabis.

The study concludes that while under the influence of cannabis, consumers might have lower processing abilities and difficulty with cognition than those who didn’t consume. However, the cognitive function of the participants appeared to revert to normal 72 hours after consumption. What this means is that if someone is high, they might have lower cognitive ability, but that ability appears to return to normal after 3 days.

This is certainly not any kind of clear-cut proof that cannabis consumption has zero impact on the brain of any kind, but it does push back on the antiquated rhetoric that cannabis consumption makes young people stupid.

While there are no studies indicating a drop in IQ points in young people, there are some other issues they could develop. A study conducted indicates that young teenagers do put themselves at risk for developing drug problems and behavioral/mental health issues as adults in their 20s. The study states that teenagers who start consuming cannabis at ages 13 to 14 are at a 68 percent risk of developing hard drug abuse problems later in life. However, that percentage drops down to 44 percent for young people between the ages of 15 to 17. It is always important to consume responsibly, and that includes being of age to do so.

It’s important to note that cannabis is not a gateway drug to harder drugs. In fact, one study, actually found smoking cigarettes and/or drinking alcohol prior to ever consuming cannabis was the strongest risk factor for starting to use cannabis as a young teenager, and then progressing to stronger drugs in their 20s. So, the most important thing a parent can do, besides educating them about cannabis, is to educate them about the harmful impacts of tobacco and alcohol.

Cannabis Could Improve Memory in the Elderly

Another myth is that cannabis consumers are forgetful and have bad memories. As previously mentioned, this is likely true while the consumer is under the influence, but memory also returns to normal after a few days. A promising preclinical study could lead to the development of medical cannabis as a treatment for memory loss that occurs with aging or even Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers looked at patterns of gene expression in an area of the brain responsible for learning and memory called the hippocampus. It was previously known that the endocannabinoid system weakens with age, and the activity of genes that make proteins responsible for cannabinoid receptors and other key components decreases greatly. Researchers injected old mice with THC for 28 days and were able to reverse both behavioral signs of aging in a test called the Morris Water Maze and hippocampal gene transcription patterns, restoring them to levels of younger mice.

While the research is promising, a clinical study in humans is required as proof that daily low dose THC actually is good for memory in midlife and beyond. However, this study in mice is a good first step in the right direction. You can try cannabis microdosing yourself and see if it helps your brain function.

What We Learned: Effects on the Brain

While we have mentioned several studies that shed tremendous light on the impact that cannabis may have on the brain, science is just scratching the surface. For right now though, we can see that:

• There is no evidence cannabis lowers your IQ points.
• Cannabis consumption in teens may cause them to develop problems with harder drugs or behavioral/ mental health issues later in life.
• Keeping teens away from cigarettes and alcohol may reduce their risk of early cannabis use onset.
• While under the influence, cannabis consumers may have lower reaction time and slower cognitive abilities than non-consumers.
• Preliminary studies show cannabis may help with memory in the elderly and may be utilized as a treatment for Alzheimer's.

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