Some people believe that smoking marijuana harms our brain causing memory loss, messes with logic and reduces overall intelligence. Those who smoke deny it, those who do not smoke it – truly believe that cannabis is much worse than they describe it, and constant use leads to permanent mental impairment. Let us look into this myth.

When a person is “stoned,” he or she even looks different and you wonder what is wrong with them. Laboratory studies have proved that marijuana creates instant but temporary changes in thoughts, perception and information processing. Scientists determined that when a person is intoxicated with marijuana, the short term memory is affected but the long term memory is not. In other words, the drug does not interfere with you remembering things that you learned or that happened before you smoked, but while being under the influence – you may not learn and remember new information as well. The diminished ability to learn and recall new information lasts only for the period of time when a person is intoxicated with cannabis. Moreover, there is scientific proof that this particular “side effect” does not last beyond the period of intoxication – once you are sober, everything is back to normal and the ability to remember or forget is restored to the pre-smoking time. Even a long term marijuana use does not impair any brain cognitive functioning or permanently damages any learning abilities.

Urban myths about marijuana harmful abilities are arisen from first impressions and fear of unknown. Science, once again, clears everything up and there is nothing left but facts.