marijuana – La Vista Church of Christ

Marijuana Impacts Memory

Jeffrey Hamilton — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 16:59:51 +0000

Source: Julia Milzer, "Largest Study Ever Done on Cannabis and Brain Function Finds Impact on Working Memory," University of Colorado, 28 January 2025.

"The researchers found that 63% of heavy lifetime cannabis users exhibited reduced brain activity during a working memory task, while 68% of recent users also demonstrated a similar impact."

"This decline in brain activity was associated with worse performance on working memory – the ability to retain and use information to perform tasks. For example, working memory allows a person to follow instructions they’ve just been given or to mentally visualize and manipulate information, like solving a math problem."

"During working memory tasks, the researchers found heavy cannabis use appeared to reduce brain activity in certain areas of the brain (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and anterior insula). These regions of the brain are involved in important cognitive functions such as decision-making, memory, attention and emotional processing."

Source: Joshua L. Gowin, "Brain Function Outcomes of Recent and Lifetime Cannabis Use," JAMA Network, 28 January 2025.

"In this cross-sectional study of 1003 young adults, heavy lifetime cannabis use was associated with lower brain activation during a working memory task; this association remained after removing individuals with recent cannabis use. These results were not explained by differences in demographic variables, age at first cannabis use, alcohol use, or nicotine use."

"These findings suggest that cannabis use is associated with short- and long-term brain function outcomes, especially during working memory tasks."

"Greater accessibility of cannabis has also been associated with higher rates of cannabis-related motor vehicle crashes, and frequent cannabis use is associated with increased risk for hyperemesis syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Despite these negative effects, there is an increasing perception that cannabis is harmless."

"The association we observed between recent use and working memory task activation and performance suggests that abstaining from cannabis prior to cognitively demanding situations will likely help with performance. The exact duration of this period of abstinence is unclear, but studies suggest that residual cognitive effects of cannabis may remain for 2 to 4 weeks after abstinence. Furthermore, in heavy users, abstaining from cannabis may also lead to withdrawal symptoms, which may last for a week or more following cessation and could also affect performance."

"Reduced brain activation to a theory of mind task was reported previously in cannabis users relative to healthy adults, and the study’s authors hypothesized that this could contribute to the increased risk of schizophrenia, a condition associated with profound deficits in theory of mind processes."

"In our study, we also observed reduced activation in recent cannabis users, which could contribute to the emergence of acute psychoses observed during THC intoxication, particularly for high THC doses."

Marijuana Use Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 17:28:44 +0000

Source: "Marijuana use linked to higher risk of heart attack and stroke," American Heart Association News, 28 February 2024.

"The number of people using marijuana has increased significantly in recent decades in the U.S., where its recreational use has been legalized in 24 states and the District of Columbia. In 2019, a federal survey showed more than 48 million people ages 12 and older reported using marijuana at least once – nearly double the number in 2002."

"Any marijuana use was linked to a higher risk for heart attacks and strokes, but people who used it most frequently had the highest odds. Adults who used marijuana daily had 25% higher odds of having a heart attack and 42% higher odds of stroke than people who didn't use it at all."

"Cannabis smoke is not all that different from tobacco smoke, except for the psychoactive drug: THC versus nicotine"

Genetic Link Between Marijuana Use and Psychiatric Disorders

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 23 May 2023 15:10:35 +0000

Source: "Shared Genetics for Cannabis Use and Psychiatric Disorders," Neuroscience News, 21 May 2023.

"Researchers discovered shared genetic underpinnings for cannabis use and psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder."

"Some genetic variants can have opposing effects – increasing risk of cannabis use while decreasing the risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder."

"These findings may indicate that a subset of the population is at high risk for both cannabis use and psychiatric disorders, based on their genetic propensity."

"Cannabis is a psychoactive drug which sometimes produces psychotic-like symptoms. Additionally, the rate of cannabis use is high among patients with disorders linked to psychosis, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Genetic factors play an important role in determining an individual’s susceptibility to developing psychiatric disorders or their likelihood of using cannabis. Some of the genetic variants associated with cannabis use are also linked to psychiatric disorders."

"'These findings are important as they show that the complex links between cannabis use and these disorders may not only be caused by cannabis use itself, but could also be driven by shared genetic susceptibility', researcher Nadine Parker says."

Dangers of Recreational Marijuana

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 16:05:16 +0000

Source: Dr. Liji Thomas, MD, "Dangers of recreational/medical cannabis use," News Medical and Life Sciences, 26 October 2022.

More people are using marijuana and starting at a younger age.

"Now that many American states have legalized cannabis, the already high rate of cannabis usage is increasing from ages as young as 16 years."

Current studies on marijuana's effects are flawed.

Medical use of cannabis is "taking place in the context of limited evidence that cannabis is safe. Furthermore, studies are limited by a reliance on a single source of cannabis from federal stocks, recall bias, small sample sizes, and poor external validity. An earlier Cochrane review in 2017 reports that most studies were of low to moderate quality."

Marijuana has limited use in pain management and comes with significant side effects.

"... the global impression of any change in pain management was very low among patients, with adverse effects of cannabis use accounting for multiple withdrawals from studies on medical cannabis."

Marijuana is linked to psychiatric disorders.

Medical cannabis "appeared to impact the nervous system, with a higher risk of psychiatric disorders. Long-term risks have been poorly assessed. Furthermore, some authors have concluded that the cost-benefit ratio of medical cannabis is unfavorable."

Marijuana negatively impacts memory, attention, and decision-making abilities.

"Cannabis users tend to show defects in executive function, with poorer memory and attention than non-users. This appears to be dose-dependent and affects cognition, reward, and motivation."

"Young adults with cannabis use disorder (CUD) could have cognitive impairments due to disorders of the emotional domain. This reduces normal cognitive control and decision-making capacity in emotionally strenuous situations."

"Studies of brain electrical activity suggest that cannabis users have increased cortical activation at rest, perhaps because the normal inhibition of unnecessary processes that create background noise and reduce brain efficiency is impaired by cannabis."

The negative effects of marijuana on the brain show up soon and lasts for a long time.

"Acute cannabis use affects working, verbal and visual memory, as well as episodic memory and attention, with higher impulsivity. In fact, small changes are detectable within a week of heavy cannabis use. Tests of memory and learning consistently produce poorer results among cannabis users. Chronic use of cannabis tends to impair memory ..."

"Chronic cannabis use may permanently alter cognition by changing brain processing in pathways like the prefrontal-limbic system network. Abstinence for over one month was not associated with a better response to emotional stimuli in chronic users with dependence."

Marijuana impairs physical reaction times, especially in situations that demand long-term attention (such as driving).

"Chronic use of cannabis tends to ... [induce] significant brain dysfunction that affects visual-motor pathways. If chronic users who abstained for an average of 15 hours are compared with chronic tobacco users, the former were shown to have worse learning and recall memory, with more interference and greater forgetfulness. Reaction times were also longer among chronic cannabis users, particularly when sustained attention was required."

"The association of poor working memory, a brain function that develops mostly in adolescence, occurs more significantly in frequent adolescent cannabis users as compared to adults. ... [This] may indicate a risk factor for cannabis use since it did not show any difference between single- and repeated-use cases."

Marijuana is associated with increased throat cancer

"Patients with throat cancer are more likely to use cannabis ... Cannabis smoking produces toxins that can produce cancer of the head and neck, as well as immunosuppressants and mutagens."

Challenges for the Year

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 20:59:18 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Challenges-for-the-Year.mp3

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Text: Romans 1:28-32

I. Toward the end of each year, people tend to review the year and record the trends that are evident

A. I’ve been collecting several articles in the last few months dealing with moral trends

B. We are not of the world, but we must live in it - John 17:15-16; I Corinthians 5:9-10

1. What happens in the world ends up creeping into our lives and the lives of those we know.

C. I would like to spend a few moments discussing these trends and what God says about such matters.

II. Changes in marriage and divorce rates

A. It might seem odd at first, but divorce rates have been declining of late.

1. The overall divorce rate in the United States dropped

a. 1990: 18.95 divorces per 1,000 marriages

b. 2009: 17.92 divorces per 1,000 marriages

c. 2019: 15.50 divorces per 1,000 marriages

d. 2021: 14.00 divorces per 1,000 marriages

2. “The U.S. divorce rate fell from 9.7 new divorces per 1,000 women age 15 and over in 2009 to 7.6 in 2019" [Lydia Anderson, “See How Marriage and Divorce Rates in Your State Stack Up”, United States Census Bureau, 7 December 2020].

3. It isn’t that people are getting better at being married

4. People are increasingly not bothering to get married

a. “There were 16.3 new marriages for every 1,000 women age 15 and over in the United States, down from 17.6 in 2009" [Lydia Anderson, “See How Marriage and Divorce Rates in Your State Stack Up”, United States Census Bureau, 7 December 2020].

b. “The number of American parents who live together without marrying has increased twelve-fold since 1970.” [“Parents cohabit rather than wed, Omaha World-Herald, 2011]

c. Only 51% of adult Americans are married in 2010. That is compared to 72% in 1960. [“Wedding bell blues: Only 51% are married,” Omaha World-Herald, 12/15/2011]. It was down to 47.3% in 2021.

d. Worse, “Just 20% of adults 18 to 29 are married, compared with 59 percent in 1960.” [“Wedding bell blues: Only 51% are married,” Omaha World-Herald, 12/15/2011]

B. But at the same time, divorce among people 50 to 64 has increased from 6.9 divorces per 1,000 marriages in 1990 to 12.6 divorces per 1,000 marriages in 2009. [Jeff Kunerth, “Boomers boost divorce rate among older adults,” Omaha World-Herald, December 2011]

1. “Now one in four people getting divorced is over the age of 50. In 1990 it was less than one in 10.” [Jeff Kunerth, “Boomers boost divorce rate among older adults,” Omaha World-Herald, December 2011]

2. What is happening is that the older generation that viewed marriage as permanent is dying off.

a. A young generation that still emphasized marriage is growing up, but they are more willing to divorce.

b. A telling statement: “The divorce rate for aging boomers is twice as high for those who were previously divorced than those who were on their first marriage.” [Jeff Kunerth, “Boomers boost divorce rate among older adults,” Omaha World-Herald, December 2011]

c. I Corinthians 7:10-11

d. They are being followed by a generation that isn’t even bothering to get married. “Families that would be unstable anyway are just skipping marriage.” [Sheela Kennedy, Minnesota Population Center]

e. The few that do are among those who see marriage as permanent.

C. Hebrews 13:4

D. The shift is affecting children and future generations

1. “42% of children have lived with cohabiting parents by age 12, far more than the 24% whose parents have divorced” [“Parents cohabit rather than wed, Omaha World-Herald, 2011]

III. Sexual behavior

A. Unwed sex

1. One statistic is that percent of unmarried births by teenagers versus all births has declined from 52% in 1975 to 21% in 2009 to 15.% in 2020.

2. Sexual intercourse in high school has decreased [Youth Risk Behavior Report]

a. 1991: 54.1%

b. 2007: 47.8%

c. 2017: 39.5%

d. 2019: 38.4%

3. Sounds good until you learn that the percent of unmarried births is rising

a. 1980: 18.4%

b. 1995: 32.2%

c. 2009: 41%

d. 2020: 40.5%

4. What that means is unmarried teen births are decreasing, but unmarried births to non-teens are rising, Thus, premarital sex after high school has been increasing.

5. I Corinthians 6:9-10

B. Sexual disease

1. 17% of all new HIV/AIDS cases involve people under the age of 24.

a. “During 1997--2006, the rate of AIDS diagnoses reported among males aged 15--19 years nearly doubled, from 1.3 cases per 100,000 population in 1997 to 2.5 cases per 100,000 population in 2006" [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5806a1.htm]

2. 53% of all STD reported involve people ages 15-24. [CDC]

3. While intercourse is decreasing, other forms of sex are increasing

a. Oral sex in 2005

(1) 71% of 18-19 year olds

(2) 43% of 15-17 year olds

b. “A nearly 30% increase in these reportable STDs between 2015 and 2019.” The highest contributing populations are homosexuals and young people between ages 15 and 24. [https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0413-stds.html]

4. There is a reason why God warned about disease (wounds) - Proverbs 6:32-33

IV. Drugs

A. Alcohol

1. From 1991 to 2011, “the proportion of eight-graders who said the used alcohol in the past 30 days has declined by half, to 13%.” 40% of high school seniors used alcohol in the past 30 days. [“Teen alcohol, cig use down; pot up,” Omaha World-Herald, December 2011].

2. Binge drinking by high school seniors dropped from 41% in 1981 to 22% in 2011. [“Teen alcohol, cig use down; pot up,” Omaha World-Herald, December 2011]

3. “By the 12th grade, more than 2/3 of students have tried alcohol.” [https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/statistics-of-drug-use-in-high-school]

B. Cigarettes

1. 12.8 % of high school students smoked in the last 30 days in 2010 compared to 11.7% in 2011. [“Teen alcohol, cig use down; pot up,” Omaha World-Herald, December 2011]

2. It is now down to 2% smoked in the last 30 days in 2022 but e-cigarettes are at 14.1%. 16.5% of high school students report using some form of tobacco product in the last 30 days. [https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/youth_data/tobacco_use/index.htm]

C. Marijuana

1. 22% of 12 to 17 year olds have smoked marijuana in the last month in 2019 [https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/teens.html]

2. “Teens generally don’t think of marijuana as dangerous” [“Teen alcohol, cig use down; pot up,” Omaha World-Herald, December 2011]

3. As more state legalize medical marijuana, the rate of marijuana use has increased. No surprise there. Disturbing is that I can’t find recent statistics.

D. Romans 13:13-14 - Behave properly - not like the world

V. In describing the warnings given to declining Roman Empire - Revelation 9:1-11

A. Satan, the angel of destruction, rose up.

1. He released smoke to obscure the sun – he blocked people from seeing the light of God’s wisdom

2. He waged spiritual warfare against his own followers, non-Christians who did not have the mark of God, causing them pain and torment

3. Yet he could not affect those whom God marked.

B. We often think of Satan looking to bring Christians down, but he is a destroyer and he destroys his own followers

C. Misery is in their lives and they don’t even realize it comes from their own sins.

D. But in God there is something that the world can never offer - Philippians 4:6-7

E. There is an opportunity to gain peace this day.

Cannabis Use Increases Pain After Surgery

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 01:53:22 +0000

Source: "Cannabis Use Increases Pain After Surgery," Neuroscience News, 23 October 2022.

One of the arguments for legalizing marijuana is that it can be used for pain management. This study shows that the claim may not be justified.

"Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States and increasingly used as an alternative treatment for chronic pain, but there is limited data that shows how it affects patient outcomes after surgery."

"Cannabis users experienced 14% more pain in the first 24 hours following surgery than non-cannabis users. Additionally, cannabis users consumed 7% more opioids post-surgery."

"Researchers analyzed the records of 34,521 adult patients — 1,681 of them cannabis users — who had elective surgeries at Cleveland Clinic from January 2010 to December 2020. The cannabis users had used the drug within 30 days before surgery, while the other patients had never used cannabis."

Marijuana’s Effects on the Brain

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 21:50:53 +0000

Source: "How Cannabis Affects Our Cognition and Psychology," Neuroscience News, 13 May 2022.

"... the main users are adolescents and young adults, whose brains are still in development. They may therefore be particularly vulnerable to the effects of cannabis use on the brain in the longer term."
"We showed that participants with the condition had significantly worse performance on memory tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) compared to the controls, who had either never or very rarely used cannabis. It also negatively affected their “executive functions”, which are mental processes including flexible thinking. This effect seemed to be linked to the age at which people started taking the drug – the younger they were, the more impaired their executive functioning was."
"Cognitive impairments have been noted in mild cannabis users as well. Such users tend to make riskier decisions than others and have more problems with planning."
"We showed that, while male cannabis users had poorer memory for visually recognizing things, female users had more problems with attention and executive functions."
"... some previous research has suggested that reward and motivation – along with the brain circuits involved in these processes – can be disrupted when we use cannabis. This may affect our performance at school or work as it can make us feel less motivated to work hard, and less rewarded when we do well."
"We have shown that it is related to higher “anhedonia” – an inability to feel pleasure – in adolescents."
"Assessing 2,437 adolescents and young adults (14-24 years), the authors reported a six percentage points increased risk – from 15% to 21% – of psychotic symptoms in cannabis users without a predisposition for psychosis. But there was a 26-point increase in risk – from 25% to 51% – of psychotic symptoms in cannabis users with a predisposition for psychosis."
"Cognitive and psychological effects of cannabis use are ultimately likely to depend to some extent on dosage (frequency, duration, and strength), sex, genetic vulnerabilities, and age of onset. But we need to determine whether these effects are temporary or permanent. One article summarising many studies has suggested that with mild cannabis use, the effects may weaken after periods of abstinence. But even if that’s the case, it is clearly worth considering the effects that prolonged cannabis use can have on our minds – particularly for young people whose brains are still developing."

Marijuana Produces Persistent Cognitive Loss

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 19:55:27 +0000

Source: "Cannabis Use Produces Persistent Cognitive Impairments," Neuroscience News, 20 January 2022.

"A systematic review published today in the scientific journal Addiction has found that cannabis use leads to acute cognitive impairments that may continue beyond the period of intoxication."

"The study found that cannabis intoxication leads to small to moderate cognitive impairments in areas including:

making decisions,
suppressing inappropriate responses,
learning through reading and listening,
the ability to remember what one reads or hears, and
the time needed to complete a mental task."

Source: Laura Dellazizzo, “Evidence on the acute and residual neurocognitive effects of cannabis use in adolescents and adults: A systematic meta-review of meta-analyses," Addiction, 11 November 2021.

"Although acute intoxication can last several hours, research has revealed that THC is a fat-soluble compound that may be stored in body fat and, thus, gradually released into the bloodstream for months. ... studies have shown impaired cognition that persists beyond the acute intoxication period in both adult and adolescent cannabis users, particularly in tasks related to learning and memory, attention and executive function."

Can marijuana be used for legitimate medical purposes?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 16:00:40 +0000

Question:

Is using marijuana or components of marijuana for legitimate medical diagnoses biblical?

Answer:

While it is popular for promoters of marijuana to talk about "medical marijuana," there currently does not exist any known medical uses for marijuana that there isn't a superior drug already on the market that doesn't have marijuana's dangerous effects.

CBD oil is being studied for its apparent help in epilepsy. It is also thought to be a pain reliever. This oil is extracted from hemp plants, of which marijuana is only one type of hemp plant. In other words, CBD oil can be gained without growing or legalizing marijuana which has the dangerous THC chemical in it. THC is what gives the "high" to marijuana users.

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not recognized or approved the marijuana plant as medicine. However, scientific study of the chemicals in marijuana, called cannabinoids, has led to two FDA-approved medications that contain cannabinoid chemicals in pill form. Continued research may lead to more medications." ["Marijuana as Medicine," Drug Facts, National Institute on Drug Abuse, July 2019].

There is a large difference between extracting beneficial chemicals from a plant for medical use in specific areas and legalizing the wholesale use of the entire plant. For example, botox is used in several applications as a long-term paralysis of nerves, but the bacteria it is derived from can cause death.

The medical industry is currently exploring THC to see if there is something it can be used for. "THC can increase appetite and reduce nausea. THC may also decrease pain, inflammation (swelling and redness), and muscle control problems." [ibid] However, at this time the studies are insufficient to say whether the benefits of the drug outweigh the harm it causes.

The current problem is that those who want the recreational use of marijuana legalized (despite its known harm) are using claims of medical use for marijuana as a way to gain acceptance. Rather than conduct actual controlled studies of the drug, they use the ignorance of the populace to push legislation through various states -- legislation that currently is technically illegal since the state level law violates the federal law on marijuana. As has been shown, over time the states that legalized marijuana for medical use are then asked to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

Christians are commanded to remain sober-minded (I Thessalonians 5:1-10). The general use of marijuana violates this command.

Question:

I want to always try to follow God’s instruction and I often wonder about drugs from a doctor that we take for pain, anxiety, etc that certainly could leave us not sober-minded (even when taken as prescribed) which is confusing. Because everything we do and say has to be authorized by God, are medications prescribed by our doctor and used as prescribed authorized by God for us to do?

Answer:

See: Should a Christian use medicinal drugs that may affect the mind?

"It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more" (Proverbs 31:4-7).

Lemuel's mother said that if alcohol must be used, give it to people who are dying or who are in pain. Alcohol is a depressant and can be used to manage pain, though we have better pain medications today. When someone is severely depressed or in anguish, alcohol can take the edge off for a while, though we have better antidepressants today. But like the medications of today, continued use after the need is gone is not good for a person.

Even though alcohol can cloud the mind, as a medication, it is useful. "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities" (I Timothy 5:23). However, this does not lead to the conclusion that the casual use of alcohol is recommended. Proverbs 31:6-7 is not a justification for the casual use of alcohol or other mind-altering drugs. The whole passage (Proverbs 31:4-7) does condemn the use of alcohol in situations that are not medically necessary. However, we need to note that there are times when even medication that might affect the mind may be needed.

Attempts to Compensate for Damage Hides Marijuana Effects in the Short Term

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 19:50:29 +0000

Source: Alice G. Walton, "The Brain May Compensate For Heavy Pot Smoking -- Until It Can't Anymore," Forbes, 11 Nov 2014.

"The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that an area in the front of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is smaller in people who smoke three joints a day than people who never touch the stuff. But what's interesting about the new study is that it also found greater connectivity in the white matter throughout the brain, suggesting that the brain is trying to compensate in some way – at least for a while. After years of heavy pot use, the study also found, the brain can no longer continue this compensation, and the effects begin to disappear."

"In previous research, we have observed that changes in the orbital frontal cortex are correlated with greater use of marijuana and behavioral difficulties in participants' personal and professional life."

"What we did find is that the younger an individual was when they started using marijuana the greater the brain changes appeared to be."