Can Marijuana Help You Study?

Question

1. The claim that marijuana can help you study (at least how it is presented in the Leafwell article), is exaggerated and misleading. The article suggests that cannabis can aid in studying by enhancing focus and reducing anxiety, but current scientific research indicates that marijuana use is generally associated with negative academic outcomes.​ A study published in Cannabis found that frequent cannabis use among college students is linked to a lower GPA and higher levels of procrastination. Specifically, students with high levels of procrastination and greater lifetime cannabis use showed lower cumulative GPAs. ​Even research indicates that marijuana use during college can be a barrier to academic achievement. Even after accounting for demographics and other factors, marijuana use adversely affected college academic outcomes, both directly and indirectly through poorer class attendance. The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine found that heavy cannabis use can impair working memory. The study observed reduced brain activity during working memory tasks among heavy cannabis users, which can negatively impact learning and academic performance. ​

Answer 1

The claim that marijuana can help you study (at least how it is presented in the Leafwell article), is exaggerated and misleading. The article suggests that cannabis can aid in studying by enhancing focus and reducing anxiety, but current scientific research indicates that marijuana use is generally associated with negative academic outcomes.​ A study published in Cannabis found that frequent cannabis use among college students is linked to a lower GPA and higher levels of procrastination. Specifically, students with high levels of procrastination and greater lifetime cannabis use showed lower cumulative GPAs. ​Even research indicates that marijuana use during college can be a barrier to academic achievement. Even after accounting for demographics and other factors, marijuana use adversely affected college academic outcomes, both directly and indirectly through poorer class attendance. The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine found that heavy cannabis use can impair working memory. The study observed reduced brain activity during working memory tasks among heavy cannabis users, which can negatively impact learning and academic performance. ​

Comments

Based off of an article that I came across, I completely agree that Marijuana can lead to poor effects with studying. For example in this article, https://theconversation.com/how-does-smoking-marijuana-affect-academic-performance-two-researchers-explain-how-it-can-alter-more-than-just-moods-168158 its states "Published research consistently shows that the more frequently a college student uses cannabis, the lower their GPA tends to be, the more they report skipping class and the longer it takes them to graduate".  The use of cannabis for college students can effect their academics by impairing their memory and many others factors.

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I think you did a really good job showing that the Leafwell article is not telling the full truth. You used real studies, not just opinions, which makes your fact check strong. I also found a study from the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs That said college students who use marijuana are more likely to skip class, which can hurt their grades. Maybe your fact check would be even better if you also said that marijuana can sometimes make anxiety worse for some people  so it’s not always a good way to deal with stress when studying.

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Great point about the University of Colorado Anschutz study on working memory—it’s a strong scientific counter to the idea that cannabis helps with learning. Something you could build on is the role of short-term versus long-term effects. For example, some people might feel more relaxed in the moment and mistake that for improved focus, even if the long-term impact is negative. If Leafwell is only pointing to short-term subjective effects, that might be part of why their article is misleading. Adding that distinction could really sharpen your argument and help readers understand how context matters in evaluating scientific claims.

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That's an interesting point. It highlights the importance of looking at scientific evidence critically, especially when claims are made about substances affecting cognitive functions like studying. The relationship between any substance and learning can be complex and influenced by many factors.

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I like that you added how the Leafwell article explains how cannabis can be beneficial, but then gave a more current article with studies explaining that the claim is exaggerated or misleading, and how it can affect more than just study habits, but over school performance.

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I thought your fact check was great. Every comment you made was backed with evidence and I found it to be very informative. I thought your usage of the links within your writing was convenient and professional.

Answer 2

The article presented by leafwell prompts that cannabis use while studying could potentially increase productivity when studying. However, this could be very misleading as smoking or eating marijuana could result in mixed outcomes. A Higher Education Center article shows a study done with students between the ages 18 and 24. Their levels of anxiety, substance use, depression, procrastination level, and academic performance were all measured. After doing their study, they concluded that a higher use of marijuana is correlated with a lower GPA and higher procrastination. This article is misleading in the sense that the use of marijuana might affect someone positively and reduce their anxiety, however, this varies between who is ingesting and what strain it is. 

Comments

I thought this was a fairly good response because, I was looking at other articles that were misleading and many of the same had similar answers as Leafwell. One example being, WeedMaps and they discussed how marijuana is a stress reliever and mood booster. While it may be true it is very misleading and bias considering the website name being WeedMaps. It depends on a multitude of things and not everyone has the same reaction to marijuana as others. Good job of looking at other sources and being able to fact check this accurately.

Answer 3

The claim that marijuana can help you study is exaggerated and misleading. After reading articles from many reputable sources, it has been shown that this claim is misleading. In an article from The National Library of Medicine, the use of marijuana can have adverse effects on studying and academics in adolescents. There has not been a lot of research on collegiate academics, but research has shown that students are more likely to skip class and have longer graduation times. In another article from Leafwell, it says that marijuana use for studying can be different for everyone. Some may feel energized and focused depending on the strain you ingest. It has also been studied by Harvard Medical Publishing that the consumption of marijuana can cause short-term memory loss, which is the opposite of the goal in studying. Having a shortened memory and a lack of memory can hinder grades and lower one's GPA. In a study by Homel et al. (2014), users of marijuana are less likely to enroll in post-secondary education, and if they do, they are more likely to unenroll during their time in university. 

https://leafwell.com/blog/study-on-cannabis 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4586361/

https://www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288/jsad.2014.75.674

Answer 4

This post that weed can be beneficial to helping you study is misleading and exaggerated. This article from Harvard Medical School talks about the use of weed, specifically lots of use or early use can affect the brain. Weed has an effect on parts of the brain that are crucial for memory, attention and decision making. These are key skills to have while studying and putting together complex concepts. This directly will hurt your ability to do this type of work. However there benefit of cannabis, is how it affects you creatively. If you were to be working on art homework, or something in a more creative space, it could be beneficial to some people. Although it has been proven that weed doesn't actually make you more creative according to this article from University of Virginia, it can make you more relaxed which in turn could increase your creativity. For the most part weed will not be beneficial to your studying, but in certain circumstances it might help some individuals.

https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/cannabis-brain 

https://news.virginia.edu/content/bummer-youre-not-more-creative-pot-research-shows-you-just-think-you-are 

Comments

This was a good fact-check! I liked how you chose an article written by Harvard Medical School because it makes it credible and reliable. I also liked how you talked about how weed has a negative effect on the memory, attention, and decision part of the brain, which proves the claim to be false, but you also add that weed can have a positive effect on creativity.

Answer 5

The claim that "marijuana can help you study" is not for certain and is misleading according to the title. There are many factors that are important to consider when talking about marijuana use. The marijuana strain, proportion of CBD and THC, and the reaction of the individual using the marijuana need to be all taken into account. The most important factor to consider is how it affects the user. Every single individual has a different reaction to marijuana and therefore might promote or inhibit their studying abilities. According to the National Library of Medicine through a study, while accounting for demographics and other factors, marijuana use adversely affects collegiate academic outcomes. Whether it is poor class attendance or procrastination on assignments, both of which are some results of marijuana use, they can both lead to extended graduation times. In the end, it all depends on the individual but there is a trend that marijuana has negative effects on educational performance.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4586361/

Comments

I think you made a good point to talk about individual differences, and I think your choice to mention the National Library of Medicine gives your argument solid credibility. I think one thing you could have mentioned could be if the study controlled factors like mental health or economic status since those things could have changed or skewed the outcome.