Relationship Between Cannabis Use and Immediate, Delayed, and Working Memory Performance Among Older Adults
Cannabis January 1, 2023 Madison Maynard, Daniel Paulson, Michael Dunn et al.
Cannabis use is rising among older adults, but its cognitive effects in this group are unclear. In a sample of 1,348 adults aged 50-98 from the Health and Retirement Study, current frequent users (once per week or more) showed significantly worse immediate memory performance than past and non-users, after controlling for age, gender, education, and minority status. No group differences emerged for delayed or working memory. The authors suggest that greater-than-weekly use may impair attention and short-term memory, and that sustained abstinence might mitigate these effects. Limitations include small sample sizes and measurement issues.