As policies concerning cannabis use continue to change, health professionals have begun to reexamine the impact of cannabis use on public health. Recently, scientists reviewed current literature to evaluate what is known and not known regarding the effects of cannabis use on human behavior, including cognition, motivation, and psychosis.
- Cognition: this review states acute cannabis use indeed impairs cognition (including learning and memory); however, it is less clear whether heavy cannabis use is associated with enduring cognitive impairments. This section also discusses factors that may increase one’s vulnerability to cannabis’ adverse effects, such as age of initiation and genetic factors.
- Motivation: this review concludes that cannabis use is associated with impaired motivation. This section also indicates it is unknown if changing the active ingredient concentration in cannabis modifies the risk of amotivation.
- Psychosis: this review presents scientific evidence that supports a mechanistic link between cannabis use and schizophrenia. This section also cites findings from studies that explore interactions among cannabis use, genotype, and psychosis.
Take away: this review presents scientific evidence for cognitive deficits, lack of motivation, and psychosis as possible adverse effects following cannabis use. It concludes that future work must clarify which aspects of cannabis exposure (e.g. age of initiation, duration and frequency of use, quantity and potency of cannabis used) confer the greatest risk for experiencing these adverse effects.