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Young people who regularly use marijuana may have some good news: a study conducted by the General Hospital of Massachusetts (USA) found that after a month of abstinence from this drug, measurable improvements in Memory functions associated with learning.
The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, is one of the first to have followed the evolution of cognitive functions over time due to an interruption in marijuana use .
"Our study provides two compelling evidence: the first is that teens learn best when they do not consume cannabis, and the second is that at least some of the deficits associated with cannabis use are not permanent and can improve quickly when they are used to stop using marijuana, "said Randi Schuster, director of the department of neurology at the Addiction Center of Massachusetts General Hospital and senior author of the. study.
For research, 88 young people from the Boston area aged 16 to 25 were recruited. All admitted to having used marijuana at least once a week.
The researchers divided them into two groups: one stopped smoking for a month, while the other maintained his usual marijuana use. Previous factors of learning, motivation, cognition, mood and frequency of consumption were taken into account so that both groups were equivalent. All have undergone weekly tests of memory and cognition.
This shows that the ability to learn and remember new information has only improved in those who have stopped using cannabis. In addition, this improvement occurred to a large extent during the first week of abstinence. On the other hand, attention did not improve during this period. In addition, among those who continued to consume, no cognitive improvement was observed.
Better grades
"The ability to learn or map new information, which is a very important aspect of success in the classroom, has improved when there has been no prolonged use of cannabis." "said Schuster.
He adds, "Young cannabis users who stop drinking regularly – for a week or more – may be better prepared to learn effectively." We can confidently say that these findings suggest that abstinence from consuming cannabis helps young people learn, while continued use may interfere with the learning process. "
Dr. Evelyn Benavides, a neurologist at the Andean University Clinic, said it was necessary to conduct a longer study to determine the true implications of consumption. But he says that marijuana "is a depressant of the central nervous system and increases in some people the death of neurons, which is irreversible."
Anneliese Dörr, Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile, coincides with this date. "The recovery or not of the memory will depend on the time that the young man smokes, of the age of the appearance and also of the individual sensibility".
The situation in Uruguay.
The relationship between Uruguayan adolescents and marijuana follows the same steps as for alcohol. The perception of risk is decreasing and, as a result, consumption is increasing. According to a study by the National Drug Board in 2016 and published this year, two in ten young people aged 13 to 17 smoked cannabis over a 12-month period, a figure slightly higher than that of smokers. cigarettes.
Since 2003, marijuana use has increased among youth. Six out of ten Uruguayan students believe that marijuana use is safe and only one in ten say it is "very risky".
Keys to the study
The study found that teens learn and better remember new information when they do not consume cannabis
Marijuana is a depressant of the central nervous system and, in some people, increases neuronal death, which is irreversible.
In Uruguay, two out of ten young people between the ages of 13 and 17 have smoked cannabis in the last 12 months, a figure that exceeds smoking.
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