Shit I didn't start using until I was 24 and I can't remember fuck all. Never could. And in all likelihood never will.



Sometimes it's luck of the genetic draw, not what you take.

I started using when I was....I think 19? but that was a one time use, and then later on I started using it more regular around the age of 24. It's had somewhat the opposite affect on me, even though my brain is already in a weird shape(due to previous surgery) and has helped me with many things including surgery. It can be luck of the draw, but I wouldn't hold against drugs affecting a still developing brain.

You're an exception Hazard.


Your head is special.

my brain is blushin :3

I've had quite the opposite effect; I've had lucid childhood memories on the stuff and my mind has been slowed down enough to combat some of the short-term memory problems I already had, but I didn't start using regularly until age 27-ish.

Can't say it effects my memory any more than any other influence, but I have poor memory to begin with so I'm not an accurate variable. :P

I've always been forgetful by nature, started smoking when I was 17 and i'm 24 now, I have not noticed much of a difference. As a medical user I care alot more about my health than some potential memory issues.

I was always forgetful, I think it was due to an accident back when I was 9. I can't remember any of my childhood bar a few isolated events. I remember more in the last few years but even back a few years is fading to obscurity. I mean, when I was doing a lot of pot, I temporarily had more memory problems, but I think the key word here is chronic -moderation is key with doing any recreational activity. Alcohol causes considerably more damage to more centers of the brain (including memory) in alcoholics as well.

I think I'll always have a poor memory, but not because of weed - it was already a problem to begin with. I can't smoke chronically though since I know from experience it does make the problem worse.

I've actually recovered lost memories (suppressed due to trauma) with the help of smoking, so...
I think this really varies by person.

Rereading, I definitely have to question a study that only includes 97 people including healthy control... that's not a rigorous test simply because it's not a large enough test size.
Additionally, they're wanting to draw the conclusion that chronic use of cannabis does this to a healthy brain... when they only tested people who supposedly had stopped using for 2 years (minimum) in their early 20s, but had smoked chronically for years beforehand. This study implies that chronic use by adolescents (those whose brains are still developing) could cause developmental abnormalities, but I'm not at all sure the conclusion they reached about use actively damaging the brain is sound.

Interesting side-notes that somehow makes me want to mistrust their information, but might just be based on gut dislike:
I bet, considering the way things are worded when describing the participants, they got some of their test subjects from the justice system.
They got a substantial amount of their grant money from the National Institute of Drug Abuse... and all of it from the National Institute of Health, which has a history of paying for studies that turn out to be guilty of bias confirmation.

Does this really matter?

it's always interesting to see what studies come up with, also a good thing to arm oneself with when others outside of the pot smoking circle come at you with something like this.

Good point.

I've always had a lot of difficulty committing things to long term memory. Recently though I have found myself getting better at it. I've been using marijuana since I was about 14 and I'm 32 now.