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Marijuana Intoxication Does Not Adversely Impact Decision Making, Study Says |
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Written by Dale Gieringer, Ph.D
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Sunday, 05 August 2007 |
New York, NY: Experienced marijuana users perform tasks as
accurately after having smoked cannabis as they do sober, according to
clinical trial data published in the Journal of Clinical and
Experimental Neuropsychology.
Investigators at New York State's Psychiatric Institute and
Columbia University assessed the impact of acute cannabis intoxication
on the decision-making abilities of 36 subjects, as assessed by the
Iowa Gambling Task performance test. Volunteers completed the Gambling
Task once sober and three times after smoking cannabis or placebo.
Though cannabis intoxication increased the time required for
subjects to complete their tasks, volunteers' accuracy was not
adversely impacted by pot.
"[A]dvantageous card selection and money earned on the task were
not disrupted by marijuana," authors concluded. "These data are
consistent with previous findings that indicated that speed of
performance on tests of executive function, but not accuracy, is
disrupted in experienced marijuana users during marijuana intoxication."
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML
Senior Policy Analyst, at:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Full text of the study,
"Acute effects of smoked marijuana on decision making, as assessed by a
modified gambling task, in experienced marijuana users," appears in the
Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology.
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Dale Gieringer, Ph.D |
| About the author: |
|  Dr. Dale Gieringer received his Ph.D. at Stanford on the topic of DEA drug regulation. He is the author of articles on marijuana and driving safety, drug testing, marijuana health mythology, the economics of marijuana legalization, and DEA "drug enforcement abuse." He is presently working on a book on medical use of marijuana. He has also sponsored research on the use of water pipes and vaporizers to reduce harmful tars in marijuana smoke. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 05 August 2007 )
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Volume 3 
The Men's Wearhouse George Zimmer
