The possible medicinal use of cannabinoids for chronic diseases
emphasizes the need to understand the long-term effects of these
compounds on the central nervous system. We provide a quantitative
synthesis of empirical research pertaining to the non-acute
(residual) effects of cannabis on the neurocognitive performance
of adult human subjects. Out of 1,014 studies retrieved using
a thorough search strategy, only 11 studies met essential a
priori inclusion criteria, providing data for a total of
623 cannabis users and 409 non- or minimal users.
Neuropsychological results were grouped into 8 ability domains,
and effect sizes were calculated by domain for each study
individually, and combined for the full set of studies. Using
slightly liberalized criteria, an additional four studies were
included in a second analysis, bringing the total number of
subjects to 1,188 (i.e., 704 cannabis users and 484 non-users).
With the exception of both the learning and forgetting domains,
effect size confidence intervals for the remaining 6 domains
included zero, suggesting a lack of effect. Few studies on the
non-acute neurocognitive effects of cannabis meet current research
standards; nevertheless, our results indicate that there might
be decrements in the ability to learn and remember new information
in chronic users, whereas other cognitive abilities are unaffected.
However, from a neurocognitive standpoint, the small magnitude
of these effect sizes suggests that if cannabis compounds are
found to have therapeutic value, they may have an acceptable
margin of safety under the more limited conditions of exposure
that would likely obtain in a medical setting. (JINS,
2003, 9, 679–689.)
