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Meta at Science News reports on a new study (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1516648113) still paywalled at PNAS:
Marijuana is used more than any other recreational drug, with recent trends toward greater social and legal acceptance in some regions. Concerns remain, however, about a possible causal relationship suggested in scientific studies between marijuana use and decline in IQ.
A new study from two longitudinal studies of twins, examine the link between marijuana use and IQ using data from more than three thousand individuals from Southern California and Minnesota.
The study by scientists from UCLA and the University of Minnesota focused on three criteria they proposed as measures for evidence of a direct causal relationship between marijuana use and cognitive decline.
- If marijuana use causes IQ decline, as opposed to merely being associated, then poor cognition scores should only be evident after use begins, and not before.
- If a causal link exists, a dose-response relationship would be expected.– that is, higher decline with heavier marijuana use.
- finally, if the relationship is causal, then the association of marijuana use and IQ decline should remain, even after accounting for genetic and social factors.
In tests of abstract reasoning and problem solving associated (called "fluid intelligence") showed no significant differences between uses and non users.
[more]
The study did find decreases in ability among marijuana users compared to non-users in the ability to use previously learned knowledge. (Vocabulary and Information retrieval, or so called "crystallized intelligence".)
The authors noted, however, that the baseline IQ scores of eventual users were already significantly lower in the affected areas.
Here, marijuana use does not precede cognitive decline, and they point out prior evidence that suggests other factors such as behavioral disinhibition and conduct disorder that may predispose individuals to both lower IQ and substance use.
(So criteria 1 above was not met).
The study also found no relationship between heavier or more frequent marijuana use and the magnitude of IQ decline.
(Criteria 2 was not met).
Finally, the authors examined the effects of outside factors associated with IQ decline. They found the decrease in Vocabulary scores was reduced in one study and "completely eliminated" in the other when adjusted for participants who self-reported binge drinking and use of other drugs.
(Criteria 3 also failed).
The authors conclude that taken together, the results provide "little evidence to suggest that adolescent marijuana use has any direct effect on intellectual decline".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 19 2016, @09:22PM
3. Weed users more likely to be binge drinking, which causes real damage
Which has little to do with the marijuana itself, and is more about the choices of the users.
The study shows how to not be a statistic while using weed, except that daily heavy weed smokers with memory impairment are going to look stupid to most people even if the damage is not permanent.
It's foolish that some people equate intelligence to memory. You need to be able to retain information to some extent, but strong critical thinking skills are far more important when you're talking about intelligence.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 19 2016, @09:55PM
Memory is needed to function day-to-day as a human being. You are much less useful if you can't function socially due to vocabulary problems or have to look up information constantly.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 19 2016, @10:00PM
Memory is needed to function day-to-day as a human being.
I said: "You need to be able to retain information to some extent"
I still say that it doesn't have much to do with intelligence. There are serious diminishing returns here. A person who can memorize everything instantly is not necessarily a person who can make amazing innovations; they are different abilities.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 19 2016, @10:29PM
Yes, I know, you said "I've drawn this arbitrary and blurry line, and I will move it wherever I need in order to weasel out of any counter example presented to me."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 19 2016, @10:50PM
No, it's more like I acknowledged that you need to be able to retain information in order to function. Good job missing the larger point. Not everything is about weaseling out of something else.