Katharina Buczek
So, if non-medical cannabis use leads to improvements in sleep and reductions in stress, it could, in turn, potentially lead to better cognitive health in the long run.
Still, the researchers emphasized that these findings are initial and more research is required to fully understand the complex interactions between cannabis use and cognitive health as we get older.
They acknowledged several limitations in their study, such as its dependence on self-reported data and the focus solely on adults aged 45 and older, meaning the results might not be applicable to younger individuals.
“The main takeaway is that cannabis might be protective for our cognition, but it is really crucial to have longitudinal studies because this is just a snapshot of 2021,” said Professor Roger Wong.
“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. We need longitudinal studies to see long-term if non-medical cannabis use is protecting our cognition over time. That’s something we don’t know yet, but that research is hindered since cannabis remains illegal federally.”
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Current Alzheimer Research, visit the link here.
