Quote Originally Posted by mmjnoob
Birdgirl, you look to have done some homework. Can you share some reliable sources on the marijuana/memory connection?
Here are a few, MMjnoob, and I apologize in advance for the length of this!

Cannabis: learning and memory
This is only an abstract. From a Journal of Neuroscience article. Mighty technical. The conclusion of what this article says is that cannabinoids donâ??t affect long-term brain plasticity, meaning its ability to adjust and compensate in other areas, which the brain is amazing at, but that it does apparently affect potentiation and depression in the hippocampus. (Depression here doesnâ??t refer to emotional depression.) Explore the other links at the bottom.

Cannabis and memory
Another article. Includes good links at the bottom.

Marijuana wreaks havoc on brain's memory cells - health - 20 November 2006 - New Scientist
Fairly good general, written-for-the-masses article about why cannabis does what it does.

Effects of Cannabis on Memory and Cognitive Function
This I found on Google, and itâ??s British. Refers to studies that must be cited elsewhere. The interesting part isnâ??t so much what it says. Itâ??s the specifics about the memory testing itself that was done in Britain and what specific types of memory impairment seem to have been reflected. For this to be legit, we really need the real published results, though. So take this with a grain of salt.

Am J Dis Child -- Abstract: Short-term memory impairment in cannabis-dependent adolescents, October 1989, Schwartz et al. 143 (10): 1214
Article abstract on cannabis and adolescent memory/intellectual impairment from one of the Archives pediatric publications. See links at bottom. This is very mainstream medical anti-weed thinking, but these publications fact-check and verify like crazy so the science it cites is credible (if small-scale).

MARIJUANA'S EFFECTS ON MEMORY
Scroll down to the sections on memory and THC neurotoxic effects. One of the cool things about this info, although itâ??s only semi-literate and thus not wholly credible because it indicates it hasnâ??t been fact-checked or edited or reviewed in any way, is its claim that cannabinoids and the effects on the CB1 and CB2 receptors have helped us learn a great deal more about brain function itself, particularly in the hippocampus, than we knew before.

YouTube - Marijuana/Cannabis memory loss & Alzheimer's
Good CNN piece posted on You Tube about the compound cannabidiol that seems to offer promise for Alzheimerâ??s patients. Cannabidiol is one of the non-psychoactive compounds. It's the one that mediates the effects of THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient that can cause real problems for some vulnerable users (problems in the area of delusions and, in some, actual psychosis). This piece points out that there are both brain-beneficial and brain-detrimental effects.

Marijuana Use Affects Blood Flow In Brain Even After Abstinence
Marijuana makes blood rush to the head - health - 07 February 2005 - New Scientist
Interesting findings that weâ??ve talked about a good bit on this site about cannabisâ?? effects on the blood flow of the brain. In the small study that the articles refer to, smoked cannabis was shown to increase blood flow velocity and pulsatility even long after smoking. Whether this is what affects memory is really just scientific speculation, however. How it affects blood flow can be a bad thing for some and a potentially good one for others. I personally believe it may be this effect, the increased blood flow, that, in conjunction with CBD (cannabidiol) plays a role in possibly staving off Alzheimerâ??s. Makes sense to me that the effects of CBD and higher blood velocity could work together to keep the amyloid plaques that cause Alzheimerâ??s from forming. This is my med student speculation and nothing more!

You can find a lot about cannabis and memory loss on the NIDA/NIH site, but itâ??s largely very anti-cannabis. Theyâ??re one of the handful of places that are doing any real research on it, however. You can read some abstracts in Granny Storm Crowâ??s signature that reflect pro-cannabis opinions, largely, but these are generally studies, many on rats and mice, relating to the administration of isolated compounds like synthetic THC rather than the results of human studies with whole smoked, vaped or eaten cannabis. So youâ??re not always getting the full picture there because we canâ??t automatically conclude that whatâ??s true for mice who receive synthetic injected THC is going to be true for humans with whole smoked, vaped or eaten cannabis. Itâ??s a comparison of apples to, well, lab mice.
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I'm sure some people will want to claim that this other information above is anti-cannabis, but itâ??s actually just balanced scientific info. Itâ??s real hard for many people to get past their defensiveness of cannabis as an all-good substance and look at balanced science. The sad thing is we all need to be aware of both sides of the argument if weâ??re ever going to get anywhere in educating the general public about the stuff or make any real progress on its acceptance.

Two other sites with good links about cannabis and neurological effects are here:
Erowid Cannabis (Marijuana) Vault
Tons of good links at the bottom with sources cited throughout.

Medical Use - NORML
NORMLâ??s medical use area, which has good links to explore and read.

Hope this is enough to get you started!