Scientists Continue to Link Marijuana With Memory Problems

Marijuana

Marijuana-Cannabis-Weed-Bud-GramFor years we have reported both scientific research on the dangers of marijuana as well as news stories and articles related to injuries and deaths caused by marijuana.

From time to time when we post this sort of information, marijuana proponents take to email and social media, telling us we need to “do some research” and “educate” ourselves. Well, we have.

Below is just some of the research published this year alone about the link between marijuana and cognitive problems.

The Research

Researchers continue to link marijuana-use with memory issues and problems related to learning.

Researchers writing in the  journal of the American Psychological Association say, “Verbal memory difficulties are the most widely reported and persistent cognitive deficit associated with early onset marijuana use. . . . Young adults reporting early onset marijuana use had learning weaknesses, which accounted for the association between early onset marijuana use and delayed recall.”1

Researchers writing in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence write, “frequent users were more likely to drop out of college and plan to delay graduation when compared to non-users. All marijuana user groups reported lower GPAs, on average, than non-users. . . . Students who use marijuana frequently at the beginning of the college career are especially at risk for lower academic achievement than non-users, suggesting that early intervention is critical.”2

Earlier this year, researchers published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, concluding, “cumulative lifetime exposure to marijuana remained significantly associated with worse verbal memory.”3

A study published in March in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs found, “Marijuana smokers had poorer executive function . . . [and] earlier age at marijuana onset and increased marijuana use predicted poorer neurocognitive performance, and perseverative errors on the [test used in the study] significantly predicted marijuana group membership.”4

Conclusion

This research about the damage marijuana does to a person’s memory and cognitive abilities underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Bibliography

1 Early onset marijuana use is associated with learning inefficiencies.
Schuster, Randi Melissa; Hoeppner, Susanne S.; Evins, A. Eden; Gilman, Jodi M.
Neuropsychology, Vol 30(4), May 2016, 405-415. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/neu0000281

2 Marijuana use trajectories and academic outcomes among college students.
Cynthia K. Suerken, Beth A. Reboussin, Kathleen L. Egan, Erin L. Sutfin, Kimberly G. Wagoner, John Spangler, Mark Wolfson.
Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Volume 162, 1 May 2016, 137 – 145. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037687161600140X

3 Association Between Lifetime Marijuana Use and Cognitive Function in Middle Age: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study.
Auer R, Vittinghoff E, Yaffe K, et al.
JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(3):352-361. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.7841.

4 Marijuana Use Predicts Cognitive Performance on Tasks of Executive Function
Mary Kathryn Dahlgren M.S., Kelly A. Sagar M.S., Megan T. Racine M.Ed., Meredith W. Dreman Ed.M.. Staci A. Gruber Ph.D.
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 77(2), 298–308 (2016).

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Driver Admits to Smoking Marijuana Before Fatal Crash

1 CommentMarijuana

Kush_closeAccording to news reports, a Wisconsin teen admitted to using marijuana shortly before his vehicle missed a stop sign and collided with an SUV.

The crash killed two people and put a third in the ICU.

Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. Marijuana-implicated car accidents have been on the rise in recent years. Moreover, people are increasingly being taken to the hospital due to marijuana overdose and poisoning.

For example:

  1. July, 2016: A California man was arrested for giving candy laced with marijuana to a 6-year-old boy and an 8-year-old boy; the 6-year-old was hospitalized for marijuana poisoning.
  2. June, 2016: Authorities in Arizona believe the woman who caused a deadly crash was driving under the influence of marijuana. Court documents reveal the woman was driving at least 75 MPH in a 40 MPH zone when she crossed the center line, plowing into an oncoming vehicle and killing a man and his daughter.
  3. May, 2016: A Washington man pleaded guilty to giving his 4-year-old daughter a piece of chocolate cake infused with marijuana. The man reportedly went to his daughter’s daycare, where he gave her the cake. The girl later became “extremely lethargic,” and was taken to a local hospital, where she tested positive for THC–the main, active ingredient in marijuana.
  4. May, 2016: Hospitals in Colorado reported a spike in the number of newborns born with marijuana in their systems.
  5. May, 2016: Several churchgoers were sent to the ER after accidentally eating marijuana-infused cookies following church services.
  6. May, 2016: A 7-year-old boy in Washington was paralyzed by a car accident involving a teen believed to be driving under the influence of Marijuana.
  7. April, 2016: A Utah man was charged with driving under the influence of marijuana following a fatal car crash.
  8. April, 2016: A Georgia woman was arrested after her five year old said he ate a marijuana cake for breakfast. The child was taken to the hospital for treatment following the incident; according to officials, his pulse was measured at over 200 beats per minute. According to the child’s mother, the cake laced with marijuana was given to her by another person.
  9. February, 2016: An eight-year-old Oregon boy was taken to the hospital after eating a marijuana-infused cookie he found. The cookie was sealed and labeled that it contained approximately 50 milligrams of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
  10. October, 2015: A 27-year-old Oregon man admitted to using marijuana shortly before he struck and killed a female pedestrian.
  11. March, 2015: Four high school students were hospitalized after eating brownies laced with marijuana hash oil. One student was actually found unresponsive in a school bathroom after eating a marijuana-laced brownie.
  12. February, 2015: A 20-month-old Canadian toddler overdosed after eating a marijuana-laced cookie authorities say his father baked. The child survived, but suffered seizures and had to be admitted to a hospital.
  13. January, 2015: News outlets in Oregon reported a woman overdosed after she ate three gummy candies laced with marijuana.
  14. December, 2014: Oklahoma authorities reported a man with marijuana both in his system and on his person drove into oncoming traffic, crashing into another vehicle and killing its driver.
  15. December, 2014: A high school teacher in Maryland was hospitalized after a student gave her a brownie containing marijuana.
  16. December, 2014: Two middle school students in Oklahoma were rushed to the hospital after one of them reportedly passed out following marijuana-use at school.
  17. November, 2014: A Connecticut teen was taken to the hospital from school after she started having difficulty breathing following ingestion of a marijuana-laced gummy bear.
  18. June, 2014: According to The Aspen Times, a seven-year-old girl was taken to the hospital after eating marijuana-laced candy her mother brought home from work at an area hotel. The candy was left by a hotel guest–presumably as a tip.
  19. March, 2014: A 19-year-old college student jumped to his death after eating a marijuana-laced cookie purchased at a licensed marijuana store in Colorado. Reports indicate the man began shaking, screaming, and throwing objects in his hotel room after eating the marijuana “edible.” He ultimately jumped over the fourth-floor railing, into the lobby of the hotel at which he was staying. According to CBS News, the autopsy report listed marijuana as a “significant contributing factor” to his death.
  20. December, 2013: A two-year-old in Colorado overdosed and was hospitalized after eating a cookie laced with marijuana. News outlet indicate the girl found the cookie in the yard of an apartment complex.

The claim that marijuana has never killed anybody simply is not true. Marijuana has caused and contributed to numerous deaths and injuries. As we keep saying, marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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WA Fire Dept. Called Due to Teen’s Reaction to Marijuana

Marijuana

A brief note in the Fall City, WA, Fire Department’s blotter from earlier this month shows emergency personnel were called after a sixteen-year-old girl ate marijuana-infused food.

The blotter notes the girl was experiencing anxiety, and ultimately decided to wait for the drug’s effects to wear off. While the blotter does not go into much detail, the girl’s reaction to the marijuana presumably was fairly severe, if she and her family felt the need to call emergency personnel.

Oftentimes, situations like these end with children being admitted to the emergency room or hospital for treatment.

For example:

  1. July, 2016: A California man was arrested for giving candy laced with marijuana to a 6-year-old boy and an 8-year-old boy; the 6-year-old was hospitalized for marijuana poisoning.
  2. May, 2016: A Washington man pleaded guilty to giving his 4-year-old daughter a piece of chocolate cake infused with marijuana. The man reportedly went to his daughter’s daycare, where he gave her the cake. The girl later became “extremely lethargic,” and was taken to a local hospital, where she tested positive for THC–the main, active ingredient in marijuana.
  3. May, 2016: Hospitals in Colorado reported a spike in the number of newborns born with marijuana in their systems.
  4. April, 2016: A Georgia woman was arrested after her five year old said he ate a marijuana cake for breakfast. The child was taken to the hospital for treatment following the incident; according to officials, his pulse was measured at over 200 beats per minute. According to the child’s mother, the cake laced with marijuana was given to her by another person.
  5. February, 2016: An eight-year-old Oregon boy was taken to the hospital after eating a marijuana-infused cookie he found. The cookie was sealed and labeled that it contained approximately 50 milligrams of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
  6. March, 2015: Four high school students were hospitalized after eating brownies laced with marijuana hash oil. One student was actually found unresponsive in a school bathroom after eating a marijuana-laced brownie.
  7. February, 2015: A 20-month-old Canadian toddler overdosed after eating a marijuana-laced cookie authorities say his father baked. The child survived, but suffered seizures and had to be admitted to a hospital.
  8. December, 2014: A high school teacher in Maryland was hospitalized after a student gave her a brownie containing marijuana.
  9. December, 2014: Two middle school students in Oklahoma were rushed to the hospital after one of them reportedly passed out following marijuana-use at school.
  10. November, 2014: A Connecticut teen was taken to the hospital from school after she started having difficulty breathing following ingestion of a marijuana-laced gummy bear.
  11. June, 2014: According to The Aspen Times, a seven-year-old girl was taken to the hospital after eating marijuana-laced candy her mother brought home from work at an area hotel. The candy was left by a hotel guest–presumably as a tip.
  12. December, 2013: A two-year-old in Colorado overdosed and was hospitalized after eating a cookie laced with marijuana. News outlet indicate the girl found the cookie in the yard of an apartment complex.

These examples continue to underscore what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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