Pubdate: Mon, 29 Aug 2016
Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB)
Page: 49
Copyright: 2016 The Calgary Sun
Contact: http://www.calgarysun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.calgarysun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/67
Author: Camille Bains
Referenced: Research Paper: 
http://jpn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/41-6-150363.pdf

NEWS FLASH: POT MAKES YOU LAZY

VANCOUVER - Apparent laziness caused by the main psychoactive 
ingredient in marijuana persists even when the same amount of pot's 
medicinal component is added, a new study suggests.

Lead author Mason Silveira, a PhD candidate in the University of 
British Columbia's psychology department, said one part of the 
research done on rats involved giving them THC, the intoxicating part 
of cannabis, and having them choose between an easy or hard task to 
earn sugary treats.

Silveira said that under normal circumstances, most rats preferred 
the more difficult task to get more rewards but they switched to the 
easier option when given THC.

He said that while the laziness finding was not surprising, adding 
the same ratio of a pain-relieving ingredient called cannabidiol, a 
combination present in some medical marijuana used for pain relief, 
did not block the so-called slacker effect.

Silveira said the rats' ability to do a difficult challenge was not 
affected by THC, but they chose not to do it.

"There is also research pointing out that sometimes THC doesn't 
affect all your cognitive abilities across the board. What's 
interesting in our study is that it seems to primarily affect your 
ability to decide or choose whether you want to exert that cognitive 
ability," he said.

"This study suggests that you can still do the harder things, it's 
just that you don't want to."

He said the study, published Tuesday in the Journal of Psychiatry and 
Neuroscience, suggests that while some people consider marijuana as a 
panacea for various ailments, the findings highlight a need for more 
research that could allow people to enjoy the benefits of cannabis 
while considering its less desirable effects.

Cannabidiol is one of about 70 cannabinoids in cannabis, and the 
study used an equal part of it along with THC, Silveira said, adding 
that's the same ratio of the two components in the Health Canada 
approved pain reliever Sativex, often prescribed for multiple sclerosis.

He said that as Canada is set to introduce marijuana laws next year, 
people are becoming more savvy consumers of pot products and it's 
important for them to be aware that THC diminishes effort.

"That decision to do well in school or to work hard to get that 
corner office, they require more effort," he said.

Jennifer Collett, who owns a medical marijuana clinic in 
Peterborough, Ont., where she works as a complimentary health-care 
provider, challenged the study's assertion that pot use causes laziness.

"I don't see any laziness in any of my patients, that's the one thing 
I can say. That really is a myth."

Collett said she refers patients to licensed cannabis producers who 
grow marijuana but those who can't afford the cost typically go to 
dispensaries instead, adding she suffered from chronic pain despite 
years of taking traditional pharmaceutical drugs before discovering 
medical marijuana.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom