Reefer Madness! Marijuana Use Among MS Patients Raises Risk for Cognitive, Mood Problems
Multiple sclerosis patients who smoke marijuana in search of symptom relief are more likely to suffer cognitive shortfalls and mood disorders, new Canadian research suggests.A slowing down in the ability to process and remember information is one significant side effect, as is a rise in the rate of depression and anxiety.
“This is a small study, so our findings are preliminary, but the bottom line is that multiple sclerosis patients who smoke cannabis appear to be at an increased risk for cognitive issues, particularly with respect to the speed of their thinking,” said study author Dr. Anthony Feinstein, a professor of psychiatry with the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s department of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.
Feinstein’s observations are published in the Feb. 13 online edition of Neurology and are focused exclusively on the impact of smoking marijuana illegally obtained by patients themselves. Medically prescribed marijuana was not studied.
The researchers therefore assessed the experience of 140 Toronto-based MS outpatients, 10 of whom had smoked the drug at least once in the previous month and were considered regular marijuana users.
MS patients who used marijuana were found to perform 50 percent slower on tests tracking information-processing speed and were more likely than nonusers to have a mental disability of some kind. Marijuana use was also associated with a greater risk for being depressed or experiencing anxiety.
That’s funny… the MS patient I know who uses the herb multiple times per day is one of the most gifted Flash animators and graphic artists I know. Smart, funny, happy… maybe it’s because she’s not Canadian, could that be it?
Download the Wednesday Stash and you’ll hear Dr. Mitch Earleywine dissect this latest Reefer Madness.
Tags: multiple sclerosis
