The Effect of Marijuana on Cognition

A single, one gram marijuana cigarette can produce bloodshot eyes, sleepiness, paranoia, increased appetite, and the evacuation of normal social inhibitions, amongst other effects, solely, in the individual that consumes it. However, the effects of published research on the effects of marijuana consumption have a much larger scope of influence, as they can affect an entire society.

Truly, research on the long-term effects of marijuana on cognition is laden with implications. Elemental to both camps of the marijuana-prohibition battle is each side's response to the question posed above. Should marijuana usage be revealed to have no long-term effects, advocates of prohibition would find themselves with virtually nary an argumentative leg to stand on. Conversely, if the drug were shown to occasion long-term damage in individuals' cognitive functions, those in favor of its legalization would find themselves waging an uphill battle to make their pipe dreams come true.

Thus, because of the implications that research on marijuana carries, and its influence upon domestic drug policy, it is important to qualify the findings mentioned in this paper as potentially harboring an implicit and well-camouflaged bias. However, the author has maintained a vigorous effort to present only the most objective findings derived by the sources in academia most likely to be ideologically distanced from the policy debate that surrounds marijuana.

Currently, there is no central, unanimous perspective on the long-term effects of marijuana upheld by the scientific community. There are more strains of answers to this question than strains of marijuana itself. Perhaps, the reason for how kaleidoscopic the response to the question posed is because the question itself can be interpreted several ways. Thus, for this paper, the author will address several variations of this question, such as: Are there long-term effects associated with marijuana usage? Are these effects reversible? At what frequency of usage can alterations to an individual's cognitive homeostasis be expected to arise? Will all users experience long-term effects, and are there extenuating factors for which effects associated with marijuana consumption may be attributable to?

While there has been a plethora of free-lance studies conducted by amateur, adolescent scientists on the effects of marijuana usage (many of these pertaining specifically to how greatly it improves enjoyment of Pink Floyd's, “The Wall.”), few have occurred within the realm of the scientific community, specifically concerning the effects of marijuana usage on cognition, as opposed to merely memory recall.

In a recent study published in the Journal Neuropsychopharmacology, the issue of marijuana's long-term effects on cognitive processes was addressed. A double blind study of eight females and ten males, all of whom engaged in habitual, heavy marijuana usage evaluated