"Cannabis leads to larger brain volume, cognitive function in older adults"

[niyad]

A frend just sent me this article from a preliminary study done by CUAnchutz (Colordo) medical center. Sory I cannot link to the article.

Basically it said that researchers decided to study how cannabis use affects people 55-75, and found some positive outcomes. Clearly, more research is needed, but the article is interesting.

Being allergic, it appears I am stuck with my current brain functionality and cognition.

[EYESORE 9001]

1. You may want to investigate your allergy further

With so many forms readily available, perhaps there’s one which doesn’t contain the offending allergen,

[Hugin]

2. Yeah, smoke carries many allergens that are the products of combustion.

No guesses as to if ingestion in other forms also carries the benefits.

[Blue Full Moon]

16. Other forms work just as well

[slightlv]

17. I find this quite encouraging!

I've really got into the edibles lately... tho I'm in a state where all of it is still taboo. Too many religionists around here, I'm afraid. But it takes little time to go right across the state line and get what I need... when I can afford it. Was never much for gummies of any kind, but I'm kinda liking my little "magic gummies"... and I find that vaping is a lot more enjoyable to smoking the weed.

I never really gave it up since I first found it in my early 20's. Just was never much of a user, because of employment tests, etc. Now that I'm retired, when my pain pills run out, I'll use my vape to help the pain. Haven't found the perfect recipe yet, but I'm not above looking among what's out there! (LOL)

[Wednesdays]

25. Yeah, I never smoke it. But I take it in gummy form.

It's a dynamite sleep aid, and it helps relieve my arthritis.

[Blue Full Moon]

55. Which helps with cognitive improvement.

[niyad]

3. My allergies are extensive. But I never had any interest in it anyway, so

it isn't like I am missing out on anything.

[SheltieLover]

4. No wonder rednecks are vehemently against legalization

Can't have mom & pop thunking. Next thing you know, they will start reading.

[niyad]

6. Yes, of course!

[SheltieLover]

11. At least until they figure out how to grift it.

[niyad]

28. Exactly!!!

[Martin68]

38. You'd be surprised how many rednecks smoke pot. More likely to be Christian fundamentalists who oppose legalization.

[SheltieLover]

39. Yes they do. But will not legalize it, unless they profit

[intheflow]

5. Here's a link to an article about the study, from NORML:

https://norml.org/blog/2026/01/26/study-lifetime-cannabis-use-linked-to-greater-cognitive-performance-in-aging-populations/

[niyad]

7. Thank you for the link.

I cannot access it. .according to thhe notice, says I have gine there too many times.. Interesting, since I never have.

[JudyM]

9. You can try this one

https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/study-finds-cannabis-usage-in-middle-aged-and-older-adults-associated-with-larger-brain-volume-better-cognitive-function

And here's the published research, itself: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41379083/

... adding another interesting one re impact on aging and longevity: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40731362/

[niyad]

30. Thank you for these links. They all work for me.

[slightlv]

18. Thank you for the link! Interesting and easy to read!

[surfered]

8. Is it 4 20 yet? But there's that short term memory issue....what were we talking about?

[tritsofme]

10. I've been conducting decades of research on this topic as well.

I tend to agree!

[Zackzzzz]

14. Funny, I've observed the opposite of others that I know.

[Mossfern]

40. I'e noticed the same

There's a definite deficit in cognition in the folks I know who still use cannabis

[mountain grammy]

26. Same here.. and I also agree.

[SheltieLover]

12. Difficult to wrap my head around the fact we are still having to argue for the right to smoke a weed

Fucking repukes...

[slightlv]

20. I so agree with you!

Fucking repukes...

To which I amend it only to say, Fucking RACIST repukes! The whole "war on drugs" was started by Nixon because he was so insanely racist, and though this was the way to get rid of black people... throw them in jail for drugs.

Funny, how that went. People want relief... from pain, from anxiety, from just plain old real life sometimes. What and how we do that is right now for many of us dominated by Big Pharma. We can take all kinds of addictive pills... even when they're not called that. They scream about me taking my hydrocodone for chronic, intense pain... but say nothing about the fenlafaxine I'm on. Though, to titrate off that SSRI drug safely would take 10 years!

How much easier and more pleasant would it be to simply smoke a joint and call it good. (SMDH)

[SheltieLover]

66. Don't smoke a joint, just spray round up on food & eat it

Fuckers.

[OldBaldy1701E]

64. Eh, not once one learns about that dreaded and insidious practice that has been a thorn in our society's side...

Lobbying.

[SheltieLover]

65. Yup

[MiHale]

13. Never had memory lapses with cannabis...

Not like alcohol…two beers and I’ll forget where my hash pipe is.

THC in my blood is crowding out the red blood cells…

[Towlie]

53. I also never had memory lapses with cannabis...

or at least not that I recall.

[NNadir]

15. Congratulations on "being stuck with your current brain."

I may be "stuck" with selection bias with respect to my opinions on cannabis, but over the years I have a strong opinion that all these claims that pot is good for one are nonsense.

Since one hears, as a member of my generation this claim year after year that pot is good for one, ad infinitim," I have, given my access to the scientific literature, convinced myself the claims do not hold up to scrutiny.

From what I can tell from your writing here the brain you have works quite well. "If it's not broke, don't fix it," cliché is operative.

[niyad]

44. Well, not certain about the "not broke" part, given the horror show

which we currently inhabit, but I will be content with what I have! I seem to be an oddity amoung my generation, never even tried any of the mind-altering stuff. . .figured my mind was weird enough as it was!

The fact that this study came out of UCHealth/Anschutz was interesting. I understand that they have a decent reputation. My only experience with them is second-hand, when friends are patients here.

[NNadir]

50. People often treat publications in the scientific literature as if they were a kind of gospel.

I couldn't possibly count the number of times I've heard here and elsewhere the confusion between the term "peer reviewed" and the word "truth." They're are not synonymous by any means.

I sometimes post links to articles from the wonderful website Retraction Watch. (I recently posted over in the science forum a link to an article from that discussed the link between pregnancy and performance in mathematics. )

The scientific literature, like all human discourse, particularly in the age of the internet and now AI, is increasingly polluted. None of this is said to invalidate or impugn anything about the science or the scientists whose work you have referenced, but only to note that all responses to information require critical thinking.

Scientists, even great scientists, can be, and often are, wrong. It is widely held, and in my opinion, correctly widely accepted that Albert Einstein was wrong in almost all of his scientific arguments with his good friend Neils Bohr. This in no way impugn Einstein of course.

I have not read the article you cited, am not familiar with institution or the authors. I have only skimmed your headline.

Over the years here I've gotten a lot of negative pushback with respect to my opinions on pot. It's gotten so that I often don't want to be involved in it.

I can say this: Brain size does not correlate well with brain performance. This is well known. No one expects that if we hooked up a being with opposable thumbs and additional digits to an elephant's brain the result would produce genius. Brain swelling can and often does degrade brain function.

I wish I could say that I am unfamiliar with the consequences of pot use and - at the risk of generating DU outrage - pot addiction, but I'm not. On this basis I cannot applaud its use. This is not to say that I favor criminal sanctions against pot, only that I do not favor use.

I can usually expect that someone will pipe in that alcohol use is worse than pot use.

The logic of this statement is similar to making a statement that since pancreatic cancer is worse than breast cancer, having breast cancer is OK.

I'm unimpressed with the "alcohol is worse" argument.

To be clear, although alcohol can be bad for one, I will enjoy a glass or two of champagne when the orange pedophile in the White House shuffles off his mortal coil and faces "what dreams may come" as Shakespeare had Hamlet saying about kicking off.

May we be drinking our bubbly soon...

Thanks, as always, my friend.

[niyad]

58. I used to think that certain journals, magazines, etc., were at least

somewhat reliable. .not gospel, but at least a place to start. Then, several years ago, someone tried to bolster their bizarre statements by insisting that whatever piece they were quoting had been published by the NIH, and therefore I should, of course, believe it without question. Of course, me being me, I went looking. And learned, to my surprise, that the NIH makes no claims about any of the material gathered there. Of course now, with this corrupt regime, there is little credibility in any department. But that is part of the playbook, isn't it? Sowing distrust in experts, in exprience, in knowldge and the search for knowledge. I allways knew (from early personal experience) that there has always been a strong strain of anti-intellctualism in this country. It just never occurred to me that it would actually rise to power.

[ananda]

19. It makes me paranoid.

Oh well.

This brain will have to do.

[Ilsa]

29. A heavy dose does the same to me, so I don't

use anything where I can't control the dose. I mostly just use CBD gummies, but occasionally take a tiny bit of a delta-8 gummy. It tends to plant me in my chair though.

[ananda]

54. One side effect for me was out-of-body experiences.

I would rise up and look down.

I kinda miss that part. But not that much.

[roamer65]

21. The minute I retire, gummy use starts before bed.

[H2O Man]

22. An ounce of prevention .....

Recommended

[Wednesdays]

23. Psst...don't tell Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma

He's calling for a ban of medical marijuana in OK.

[niyad]

32. shitt. .errrr, stitt, is a waste of oxygen.

[maliaSmith]

24. Pot, brain and pain reliever

I quit smoking and vaping pot years ago. I make cannabis butter and then make wonderful cookies. They take away pain and muscle ache. Although I'm on a break from pot usage, which I do from time to time, I think pot is a great herb with careful usage, not for kids or driving.

[niyad]

36. I know a number of people who cook and bake with cannabis butter.

They know to warn me about which items to avoid when we are sharing any kind of get-together.

[Renew Deal]

27. The larger brain volume will be helpful for thinking about curing the lung disease

[Warpy]

35. Ever hear of edibles?

I know of very few people--NM or Mass--who still smoke the stuff. Legal cannabis means other options.

[Coventina]

31. Hi Niyad, I'm one of those weird people immune to THC

Pot has no effect on me.

I guess it's extremely rare, but I guess I'm just lucky!

[niyad]

33. You are immune. .I am allergic. What a pair we are!

[Coventina]

34. I always knew you were special!!

[niyad]

45. As are you!!!

[GreenWave]

37. Learning another language can be your brain's best buddy!

https://www.clrn.org/how-does-learning-a-language-help-your-brain/

[niyad]

46. Or doing crossword puzzles, other word games!

[txwhitedove]

41. Thank you! I have been laughed at for over 50 years because I'm allergic to pot also.

[niyad]

47. You are most welcome. Not sure I was laughed at, since people

already knew I was a bit odd. Never bothered me.

[Ford_Prefect]

42. Let me know when Hopkins or UCLA say the same, thanks.

I don't doubt there is helpful effect. I simply want a more definitive set of results to work with.

What controls did the study set on source, dosage, intake methods, etc?

ATM there is a wide variability in quality of supply, along with far too much pot mythology in the marketplace. I'd like to see some useful data addressing this issue as well.

[niyad]

48. See post 9 for a link to the actual study. I have no idea where

UCHealth ranks.

[Codifer]

43. I have found

a shot of "Willies Remedy", the daily cryptic crossword and a mournful cello works wonders for the head. Oh, and coffee and the news turned off.

[niyad]

49. Coffee, or wine (depending on time of day), chocolate, cat on lap,

mystery novel.

[Codifer]

51. Cat on keyboard.

[niyad]

56. Understand completely.

[canetoad]

52. Thanks for posting

This has brightened my weekend considerably!

[niyad]

57. You are most welcome. Happy if I can help.

[0rganism]

59. "Clearly, more research is needed" - I completely agree. On it, right away.

Some things really do require further investigation. Off to the laboratory I go!

[niyad]

62. Enjoy your research.

[0rganism]

67. For science!

I can confirm that my brain volume did increase substantially, far beyond what I initially considered to be the boundaries of my skull. Fortunately, that increased volume was filled entirely with delicious ethereal cookie dough. Mmm, cookie dough.

[lame54]

60. It's true - i was high and I finally grasped the concept of...

What were we talking about?

[niyad]

61. The possibility of life in the Crab Nebula.

[lame54]

63. Oh yeah. The definitive proof is...

Are you hungry? I'm hungry