Unique Zoom Study Links Cannabis High potential with some memory problems

A new cannabis study, which used the popular video videoconferencing application to bypass the restrictive drug laws, linked a high-power cannabis use with certain types of memory deficiency. Although it is not the first study to evaluate marijuana and its potential impact on memory, it is one of the first to focus specifically on the type of cannabis products that consumers are likely to use. 

Although many United States states have legalized cannabis for medicinal and / or recreational use, the plant remains a federally planned substance. This continuous presence as a substance in Schedule 1 interferes with the ability of scientists to adequately investigate compounds and their health implications.

To work around this problem, researchers at the Washington State University have developed a unique study protocol: zoom meetings. Participants were responsible for buying their own cannabis products from Washington clinics, taking tests on their own home and participating in calls for zooming to be observed at a distance by researchers.

While scientists are limited to studying the entire cannabis plant with a THC level of less than 10%, the consumers of legal states can buy marijuana products that have reached 90%, a considerably high power that has not been sufficiently studied. Many flowers purchased at clinics have more than 20% THC, while many vapes can have more than 60%.

Using their unique protocol, researchers have connected high-power cannabis use with certain types of memory deficiency, including increased sensitivity to false memory, the difficulty of remembering words and problems remembering the way whose information has been learned. However, small differences between users and control topics have been found involving items such as prospective memory and time control memory.