Older adults with a history of cannabis use exhibit superior cognitive performance and slower age-related declines in executive function, according to data published in the journal Age and Ageing.
Israeli researchers assessed cognitive performance in a cohort of more than 67,000 adults (mean age: 67 years old).
Compared to non-users, participants with a history of cannabis use “performed better across all cognitive domains: attention, executive function, processing speed, visual and working memory. … Additionally, past use was associated with a slower decline in executive function.”
Positive associations were strongest for former users, while outcomes were less consistent among current cannabis consumers.
“Findings from our cross-sectional analyses show that participants with cannabis use experience performed better across all cognitive assessments compared to those without,” researchers reported. “These associations were primarily driven by participants with former use experience, while current use experience showed a more limited association, reaching significance only for working memory tasks. Similarly, our longitudinal analysis demonstrated a slower cognitive decline among former users, with no significant associations observed for current users.”
The study’s authors concluded: “While cognitive harms are often assumed among older cannabis users, our results suggest a more nuanced picture. … These findings may support balanced messaging that informs decisions, reduces age-related cannabis stigma and promotes clinician–patient dialogue on therapeutic cannabis.”
Separate longitudinal data published last year similarly concluded that older adults with a history of cannabis use exhibit “statistically significant less cognitive decline compared to non-users.”
Full text of the study, “History of cannabis use and cognitive function in older adults: Findings from the UK biobank,” appears in Age and Ageing. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana Exposure and Cognitive Performance.’
