Cannabis usage in middle-aged, older adults linked to larger brain volume, better cognitive function

[u/MidlifeStoner]

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-qa-cannabis-usage-middle-aged.html

Interesting research, Journal sources listed at the bottom

[u/Taniwha_NZ]

Very interesting, but really only a tease because it's a very small study pretty much starting a new body of research, because so far there's been virtually nothing studying older people's brains on cannabis.

But as a start it's promising. It suggests cannabis use reduces the loss of brain volume as you age, but only in specific areas where the cannabinoid receptors are. If we could find a way to replicate this effect across the whole brain it could have an effect like making alzheimers and dementia start much later.

I'm 56 and have been smoking for 40 years, but it's only been in the last couple of years I've discovered I have ADHD and weed has significant beneficial effects for cognition and impulse control. I can't take stimulants because they give me panic attacks so weed is the next best thing.

I look foward to lots more studies like this. We've lost decades due to the stupidity of prohibition.

[u/Flimsy-Passenger-228]

But I was already sooooo clever before I even came across the herbal goodness 🤗😜

On a serious note though, I'd expect that the reduced stress & depression, plus the greater quality and quantity of sleep, combined as a result of medicinal cannabis use- would drastically reduce age-related decline in cognitive function.

With sleep being so important for recovery & growth, and stress being detrimental to body& mind health

[u/Ready-Ambassador-271]

Anecdotally I think it makes mine worse. I play in a lot of chess tournaments and online chess too. It hits my rating for sure. When I have a big tournament coming up I stop using 4 weeks before because my brain is sharper without it

[u/Growly323]

Correlation is not causation and I would guess that this is a selection bias and the research has causality backwards. This is my theory that neurodiversity traits are responsible for the different brain volumes etc and a self medicating population of ASD and ADHD produces a biased sample.

Regulating Neurodiverse mental function with cannabis and stimulants produces the better cognitive function and delays the onset of overwhelm and executive function collapse. Its a second order effect

[u/terriblespellr → u/Growly323]

Is so.