Short-term effects of cannabis consumption on cognitive performance in medical cannabis patients

This observational study examined the acute cognitive effects of cannabis. We hypothesized that cognitive performance would be negatively affected by acute cannabis intoxication. Twenty-two medical cannabis patients from Southwestern Ontario completed the study. The majority (n = 13) were male. Mean...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inApplied neuropsychology. Adult Vol. 28; no. 6; pp. 647 - 657
Main Authors Olla, Phillip, Rykulski, Nicholas, Hurtubise, Jessica L., Bartol, Stephen, Foote, Rachel, Cutler, Laura, Abeare, Kaitlyn, McVinnie, Nora, Sabelli, Alana G., Hastings, Maurissa, Erdodi, Laszlo A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Routledge 02.11.2021
Subjects
Adult
Cannabis
Cognition
cognitive functioning
Dronabinol - adverse effects
Humans
Medical Marijuana
Neuropsychological Tests
performance validity
repeated testing
performance validity
Cannabis
cognitive functioning
repeated testing
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Summary:This observational study examined the acute cognitive effects of cannabis. We hypothesized that cognitive performance would be negatively affected by acute cannabis intoxication. Twenty-two medical cannabis patients from Southwestern Ontario completed the study. The majority (n = 13) were male. Mean age was 36.0 years, and mean level of education was 13.7 years. Participants were administered the same brief neurocognitive battery three times during a six-hour period: at baseline ("Baseline"), once after they consumed a 20% THC cannabis product ("THC"), and once again several hours later ("Recovery"). The average self-reported level of cannabis intoxication prior to the second assessment (i.e., during THC) was 5.1 out of 10. Contrary to expectations, performance on neuropsychological tests remained stable or even improved during the acute intoxication stage (THC; d: .49−.65, medium effect), and continued to increase during Recovery (d: .45−.77, medium-large effect). Interestingly, the failure rate on performance validity indicators increased during THC. Contrary to our hypothesis, there was no psychometric evidence for a decline in cognitive ability following THC intoxication. There are several possible explanations for this finding but, in the absence of a control group, no definitive conclusion can be reached at this time.
ISSN:2327-9095
2327-9109
DOI:10.1080/23279095.2019.1681424