Cannabis and its derivatives have already been shown to relieve short-term chronic pain, reduce inflammation 30x more robustly than aspirin, improve symptoms of Crohn's disease, and show some efficacy in killing lung and pancreatic cancer cells, but a recent epidemiological look at cannabis use has linked it to dramatically lower rates of cognitive decline and dementia.

A new study published in the journal Current Alzheimer Research that looked at 4,744 American adults over 45 using self-reporting methods of calculating cognitive decline found those who used cannabis recreationally had a 96% lower chance of developing what they called ‘subjective cognitive decline.'

The researchers looked at all common methods of cannabis use, including smoking, vaping, dabbing, and consuming, as well as the frequency of use, which the scientists behind the study say has never been done before.

"The reason I think this study is so great is we looked at all the different dimensions of cannabis use. The fact that we included all three is a huge contribution to the research because I do not believe such a study has been done before," Professor Wong told Neuroscience News.

"The main takeaway is that cannabis might be protective for our cognition," Wong added. "We do not know if non-medical cannabis leads to better cognition or the other way around if those with better cognition are more likely to use non-medical cannabis."

The study was interesting in that it looked at symptoms or degree of cognitive decline as determined by the patient. This is a common confounding factor in later diagnoses of clinical cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease, but also non-neurodegenerative disorders, including depression, anxiety, failing physical health, and, in some cases, certain personality traits.

Another interesting aspect of the study was that it controlled for the use of medical-use cannabis and recreational-use cannabis. Much of the drive in America to decriminalize cannabis has been around medical-use cannabis, which is richer in CBD, or cannabidiol, a powerful plant therapeutic.

However, it was recreational-use cannabis, that is to say, cannabis cultivated not to maximize the plant's production of CBD, but to maximize THC—the psychoactive compound in cannabis—which showed the protective effect on cognition, indicating that the psychoactive part of cannabis may be more therapeutic than previously thought.

Wong admits however that many users of recreational cannabis engage in it specifically to improve things like sleep or stress, both of which are linked to cognitive decline later in life.

As with all things scientific, more research is needed, but the study should be a fascinating drive to explore further.

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