That was a trick question: There is no shared association. Look, for instance, at a 2003 study by German researchers that investigated performance on a classic remote associate test (RAT), in which subjects have to find a fourth word that is associated with the three following words: (The technical term for this, of course, is getting stoned.) Furthermore, recent research has suggested that performance on various tests of remote associations and divergent thinking - a hallmark of creativity - are dramatically enhanced by such positive moods. Marijuana, after all, has long been used to quiet anxious nerves - big pharma is currently exploring targeted versions of THC as a next generation anxiolytic - as only a few puffs seem to dramatically increase feelings of relaxation and euphoria.
Why does marijuana increase access to far reaching intellectual connections? One possibility is that the beneficial effect of the drug is mediated by mood. As a result, we hear "dog" and think of nouns that, in more sober circumstances, would seem rather disconnected, such as "leash" or "hair." This state of hyper-priming helps explain why cannabis has been so often used as a creative fuel, as it seems to make the brain better at detecting those remote associations that lead to radically new ideas. Interestingly, the scientists found that marijuana seems to induce a state of hyper-priming, in which the reach of semantic priming extends to distantly related concepts. For instance, the word “dog” might lead to decreased reaction times for “cat,” “pet” and “Lassie,” but won't alter how quickly we react to “chair.” This occurs when the activation of one word allows us to react more quickly to related words. A recent paper by scientists at University College, London looked at a phenomenon called semantic priming. In Time, Maia Szalavitz explains why this statistical adjustment is necessary:įurthermore, there's some intriguing evidence that marijuana can actually improve performance on some mental tests. One of the important advantages of this study is that the scientists controlled for a number of relevant variables, such as education and gender. Over the course of eight years, the scientists gave the subjects a battery of standard cognitive tests, most of which focused on working memory, verbal memory and intelligence. The subjects were divided (based on self-reports) into several different categories, from total abstainers (n = 420) to "current light users" (n = 71) to "former heavy users" (n = 60). The scientists looked at the long-term cognitive effects of marijuana use in nearly 2,000 subjects between the ages of 20 and 24. But now a different answer is beginning to emerge, thanks to an authoritative new study led by Robert Tait at the Australian National University. There's even been some science to back it up, especially when the marijuana use begins at an early age. That, at least, has been the collective stereotype for decades. The larger worry, of course, is that such damage is enduring and that "smoking dope" permanently impedes learning and memory. Potheads eat a lot and laugh at stupid jokes.
In popular culture, all it takes is one hit from a bong before people become ridiculously dumb, unable to solve the simplest problems or utter a coherent sentence. While cigarettes are like caffeinated smoke - they increase attention and productivity, marijuana is the drug of choice for slackers, hippies and Seth Rogen characters. Rather, the case for marijuana "abuse" has always stemmed from its cognitive effects. Put another way, if "abuse" means "addiction" then cigarettes should be Schedule I, not marijuana. Rats don't self-administer the compound in a lab, it's virtually impossible to fatally overdose on the drug, and the physiological effects of marijuana withdrawal, if they occur, are far milder than those experienced by chronic amphetamine, alcohol, nicotine or opiate users. Does abuse equal addiction? Probably not, since marijuana is not addictive like other Schedule I drugs. This is largely due to the first condition of Schedule I drugs, which is that the substance "has a high potential for abuse." The language in that clause is deliberately vague. Marijuana is currently regulated by the United States government as a Schedule I drug, placing it in the same category as heroin, MDMA and LSD.
0 kommentar(er)
