Newsweek (10/30, Gander) reports, “Teenagers and young adults who use cannabis could find it harder to learn,” research indicated. Quitting the substance, however, “was found to boost the memory of regular users after one month.” Included in the study were “88 teenagers and young adults, between the ages of 16 to 25 years old, who used cannabis at least once a week.” The young people “who stopped using the drug appeared to improve at learning new information after only one week,” while “the control group experienced no change.” The findings were published online Oct. 30 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
According to the NPR (10/30, Cohen) “Shots” blog, “more than 14 percent of middle and high school students reported using marijuana within the last month, finds a National Institutes of Health surveyconducted” last year. What’s more, “marijuana use has increased among high schoolers over the past 10 years, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.” Also covering the story are U.S. News & World Report (10/30, Hansen) and HealthDay (10/30, Thompson).
Related Links:
— “Cannabis Study: Memory and learning Improve When Teens Quit Smoking , “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek , October 30, 2018.