Lately, discussions regarding cannabis have been rampant. Seemingly, two points of view emerge from all these discussions. On the one hand, is the idea that cannabis has harmful effects on human health. Those who support its legalization sight the numerous benefits it has on health. Regardless of your stand on this issue, you might have heard it repeated severally that cannabis, CBD, or THC affects the user’s memory. Let’s see if that assertion is true.
Effect of Cannabis on the Brain
Cannabis has both short- and long-term effects on the human brain. Unfortunately, some of these effects could be quite adverse. Different studies conducted on rats regarding this matter show that the brain is susceptible to the negative effects of THC. More specifically, the studies indicate that people who start using marijuana from an early age are prone to encounter some difficulties in learning or with their memory. Here, we see that THC affects memory negatively.
Specifically, THC has a reputation for:
- Affecting the short-term brain functions of frequent users
- Affecting the cognitive functions of frequent users
Is CBD just as bad?
- On the other hand, CBD is much safer for memory. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it has zero risks on one’s health. Consequently, you could continue imbibing or using it for years without suffering adverse effects. More importantly, CBD is quickly transitioning into a drug that’s worth using in treating different ailments. Interestingly, studies show that it has positive effects on memory, which include the following:
- ⦁ Mitigates trauma
- ⦁ Reduces addiction
- ⦁ Prevents cognitive decline or memory impairment
Chemicals
It’s worth mentioning that cannabis has several chemicals. Two of the most commonly mentioned chemicals are THC and CBD. Both chemicals find their way into the brain through the blood. In this regard, it’s safe to say that marijuana impacts the brain. Consequently, its effects are bound to be move over to the memory, which is one component of the brain. For this reason, it’s not shocking to discover that it affects the brain (and memory) short term!
Additionally, the more cannabis, THC, and CBD you consume the higher your chances are of damaging your short-term memory permanently. Worse, is the fact that the brain’s ability to encode memories will suffer significantly if you keep using cannabis heavily for a long time. Apart from this, the brain also finds it difficult to create short-term memories every time you are high on cannabis. Therefore, CBD is good for memory while THC isn’t!
