Long Term Affects of Medical Marijuana on the Brain and Cognitive Function; A discussion
July 29, 20107 CommentsDisease Treatment attention span, cannabis indica, cannabis sativa, cognitive function, marijauna, Medical Marijuana, memory
As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California I evaluate patients daily for the use of medical marijuana. Often patients ask me if cannabis (marijuana) has any long term adverse effects on the body. It is a great question and one that can not be answered with 100% confidence until more research and studies are completed. Cannabis research has been limited because of the federal governments currently classification system which states that cannabis is a schedule 1 drug (no medicinal value). It is difficult to get any funding to study this incredible plant.
Before I discuss what is currently known about marijuana’s affects on the central nervous system short and long term I want to stress that you always have to weigh the benefits and risks of any medication that you take. And in the case of marijuana you have to consider what medications you WOULD BE TAKING instead of using cannabis and the risks that they pose as well. Most of the time cannabis is much safer and effective.
Most people have heard someone say at one time or another “that guy is burnt!”… meaning their brain is pretty much fried and they are not solving any calculus equations anytime soon. The question becomes: does long term use of cannabis adversely affect the brain. Short term, while acutely medicated, it is pretty clear that cannabis has an affect on short term memory, attention, coordination, balance, reflexes and hinders higher executive functioning (learning and problem solving). It is for this reason that patients must be very responsible when medicated. Researches believe that most of these symptoms are a result of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which is that main psychoactive ingredient in the plant. There are over 60 other cannabinoids that we know of in the plant which also exert their effects on the body. An example is cannabinol which is believed to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties without the psychoactive affects that THC has. This is significant as we move forward with therapeutic applications of the plant.
In the long term the research is less clear. There have been studies that have shown that long term (chronic daily) heavy users do exhibit some impairment in higher cognitive function (executive functions such as learning and problem solving) but it is difficult to distinguish from the loss of cognitive functioning that occurs naturally with aging. There have been studies that demonstrated that chronic cannabis users also have a higher incidence of psychiatric comorbidity like anxiety, depression and irritability. Certainly I have discussed cannabis use with patients who have been medicating for 30 years or more and they do say that if they don’t have access to cannabis they experience increased irritability, mood swings, insomnia and at times depression. These are considered moderate withdrawal symptoms that some patients can experience. It is for this reason that we suggest patients take “drug holidays” every few months for about 1-2 weeks to give their bodies a break and chance to “reset” their natural endogenous cannabinoid system.
One of the other questions is if regular heavy use of cannabis affects an individuals drive or motivation. People describe users having “amotivation syndrome.” They question whether cannabis affects their ability to reach goals etc. My personally feeling is that in recreational users this can be the case. However using cannabis as a medication is completely different. Patients typically use less psychoactive strains of cannabis and are using much smaller doses. Most patients just want relief of their symptoms and nothing more. In these situations I have not found cannabis to affect a patients ability to work or reach goals. Most get more sleep, are less stressed and have less pain which allows them to be more productive.
Overall I would say that cannabis in therapeutic doses for medicinal purposes poses very few adverse affects to overall patient functioning. The major organ systems are not affected and the the acute psychiatric affects of the medication are limited. Long term, patients do much better because 1) they are not dependent on other medications and 2) their day to day quality of life is improved. I clearly think that the benefits most patients receive outweigh the risks of using cannabis long term.
If you have questions or comments feel free to contact me at any time or come in for an appointment. 877-721-0047 or www.mcsocal.com
We have two full time offices in Irvine and Long Beach California.
Be blessed,
Dr. Breen
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Please note that self injurious behavior among autistic populations who are non verbal is rooted in multiple antecedents that fluctuate daily and are rooted in autistic disorder. Primarily the inability to communicate and cognitive impairments in autistic population. This is very complex. However, there are similarities among self injurious person in general. For instance, the frustration of being held captive to what is often a behavior that has evolved into a compuslive behavior. A behavior that is triggered by a plethora of antecedents, due to autistic person’s inability to respond to conventional methods used in non autistic populations to thwart or otherwise reduce the tendencies to self abuse. Marijuana advocates don’t seem to understand the complexities involved in dealing with autistic who present with chronic intraccable SIB. If they want to be taken seriously, they need to do their research. They need to explain WHY marijuana would HELP autistic who self abuse. What does marijuana DO to brain that would help? Does it elevate dopamine? Or other neurotransmitters that would reduce tendency to self abuse? What are adverse reactions? What about autistics with seizure issues? Or who have complex issues? You can’t just take one or two examples of people who CLAIM dope helped their autistic kid without examining WHY or HOW this worked?
see kgaccount on you tube for better understanding of how complex treatment is with autistic population who self abuse. Hit and Run STORIES about how weed helped a self abusing autistic are not enought. If U all want to be taken seriously than SHOW us the EVIDENCE and science as to WHY this could stop self injurious behavior among autistics. These ISOLATED reports of POT helping autistic kids is highly suspect in abscene of EVIDENCE and research SHOWING us WHY it helps. DOesn’t marijuana carry adverse side effects? How would this affect the alreadly fragile minds of autistic who self abuse? While there is NO doubt that psychotropic meds or otherwise conventional prescriptions used in treating SIB among autistics carries risk, if you want medical pot to have a serious consideration, you all need to explain why it helps. Don’t use this population to further your PRO POT agenda without showing us why it would help
Comparing pot to things like people who drink alcohol is not going to convince those who are dealing with serious medical and behavioral issues in autism.
The issue is that because of Federal scheduling guidelines (marijuana being schedule 1)… the research and grant money is not there to study cannabis at length to hold up to the scrutiny of the scientific community. In the meantime, because we do understand that using cannabis will potentially help otherwise helpless autistic kids and their families…. we are willing to give it a try and see what happens. It typically is SAFER than the bags of medications these moms and dads plunk on my desk in tears and at their wits end. Kapeesh?
hi im kalie and im doing a research on medical cannabis i thank you for making it clear for me on this website p.s. im for it
OK, so thus far NOBODY has shown what receptors in brain cannabis affects or exactly HOW it would help people with epilepsy or autism. FACTS please.